VANDREAD: Marooned
by touyatouya
Summary: -Discontinued-
1. Default Chapter

Ender presents…  
  
==[A Vandread Fanfiction Series]==  
  
In space, no one can hear you scream.  
  
Unless of course, you scream within the confines of an airtight ship.  
  
And you scream very loudly.  
  
Into the intercom system.  
  
In that case, everyone can hear you quite well.  
  
"Will someone PLEASE do something about this crazy girl?!?" Hibiki screamed into the comm, his breath sounding heavy after the exertion of having to run the length and breadth of seemingly every passage and corridor of the Nirvana. The reason for this early morning exercise was a certain red – haired girl… The same one who came around the corner just as he finished speaking.  
  
"There you are! Uchuujin-san!" cried Dita, waving her arms enthusiastically.  
  
"Ack!" Hibiki cried out, before turning and summoning a last bit of speed from his tired limbs to propel himself away from the red-head, and another of her shouted "uchuujin-sans". Hibiki Tokai was the pilot of one of the most deadly fighting machines known to mankind. He had battled and defeated a host of Earth's automated battle craft, come up with tactics and maneuvers which brought about the destruction of one of Earth's monstrous motherships…  
  
And yet… for the life of him, Hibiki Tokai could think of no way to escape the red-headed girl who still cheerfully called him 'Mr. Alien'.  
  
He was about to seek refuge inside his precious 'partner' when the alarms started ringing.  
  
Given his predicament, it was understandable that he responded with joy instead of chagrin to the blaring sound which warned of impending enemy attack. Since the defeat of one of their motherships, the Earth's forces seemed to have become almost pathetically weak, easily repulsed by one Vandread or another. The boy expected today's attack to be no more than a pleasant distraction from Dita's constant badgering.  
  
It was at about this point that a massive explosion knocked him off his feet. He would soon discover how wrong he was…  
  
==[VANDREAD]==  
  
Vandread: MAROONED  
  
Chapter One: Grounded  
  
Disclaimer: While I own this fic, Gonzo owns Vandread. And here's to the hope that they make use of that ownership for a long time to come…  
  
Timeline: This series takes place in-between the ending of the First Stage and the start of the Second Stage.  
  
==[VANDREAD]==  
  
"Wha – what do you mean we can't launch?"  
  
Instead of the deserted corridor he had expected to see, Hibiki found himself amidst a horde of Engineers led by Parfet herself, who were running various tools and instruments across a portion of the Nirvana's corridor which was completely crumpled in upon itself. The blast had damaged a good portion of this sector of the ship, and in so doing it had caused a collapse of the hull that rendered the entrance to the Bangatta hangar – where the Bangattas and the three modified Dreads were stored – completely inaccessible. It was to this tableau that Parfet pointed to in answer to Hibiki's question.  
  
"There's no way we're going to cut through this any time soon," the Chief Engineer of the Nirvana explained, not only to Hibiki, but to Dita, Meia and Jura who had also gathered around her. "Because of the risk of an explosion, we can't use the more high powered tools, and using these low level cutters, it will probably take another half an hour at least to bore a big enough hole for you guys to squeeze through – assuming there's anything left of the hangar."  
  
"You can't mean – that my partner's lost in space somewhere?" Hibiki exclaimed.  
  
"My beautiful dread!" moaned Jura in return.  
  
Parfet shook her head. "I don't think it made quite that much damage, but we won't be sure till we restore some energy to this sector."  
  
Hibiki was about to ask how long that would take when he felt a firm tug on his arm. He turned to see Meia giving the other three a serious look. "Let's go." She said, before taking off down the corridor at a fast trot.  
  
"Wait a minute!" Hibiki complained. "Where the hell are you going? The hangar's over this way!"  
  
"We won't be able to get to them with the debris in the way," she called over her shoulder. "So we might as well find some other means to be useful."  
  
Muttering under his breath, Hibiki turned to follow the blue haired girl, Jura and Dita keeping pace beside him.  
  
"Damnit," Hibiki cursed. "How the hell did this happen? How'd they get past our shields? Our radar?"  
  
"Some new weapon perhaps," Meia responded, cool as always, as they ran towards the Bridge. "We know how quickly they adapt – the weakness they've been showing so far made us too complacent. We should have been ready for this," the Dread Leader concluded, her tone towards the end managing to express the fact that she felt some personal accountability for that failure.  
  
Dita seemed to sense this as well. "Leader, you can't blame us – we all needed a break after the battle with the Big Ship."  
  
Jura nodded. "We can only push ourselves so far Meia…"  
  
"And that's exactly what the enemy was counting on," the blue haired girl replied, just as they emerged at their destination.  
  
The Bridge was in utter chaos. BC was shouting orders left and right, orders which the Bridge crew were struggling to comply with. The Boss remained intently focused on the tactical maps on the monitor, but occasionally spoke out to tweak an order here and there. What surprised Hibiki and the others was the presence of Duero on the Bridge. The male Doctor was crouched before a prone form stretched out on the floor of the Birdge, and when they saw who exactly he was treating, the reason for the pandemonium at the control center of the Nirvana became evident.  
  
The form lying unconscious before Duero was that of Bart.  
  
"What's going on?" Hibiki asked as he raced towards the two men. "What's he doing out here?"  
  
"We don't know," Duero said, his voice as calm and emotionless as if he had merely announced the state of the weather. "We believe that because of the symbiotic link formed between Bart and the Nirvana, one of the blasts from the enemy caused a negative feedback loop which knocked him unconscious, and the Pexis released him soon after."  
  
"What the hell are they shooting at us anyway?" Hibiki asked. "How were they able to penetrate our shields."  
  
"They're using a new weapon *piyoro*," the boy looked down to see Piyoro- kun bobbing up and down next to Duero's feet. "It goes through our shields *pyoro*"  
  
As Meia, Dita and Jura reached Hibiki's position, BC took over the explanation, in between issuing commands to the crew. "Parfet says that they're using some sort of beam that is ordinarily harmless, but which is transmuted into a powerful laser when it encounters our shield. We were only able to prevent taking more of a beating by lowering our shields, but that gave their conventional weapons a chance to do their damage."  
  
"And by then," Ezra added, from her position at the comm station. "Bart- chan was already unconscious."  
  
"Is Mr. Navigator going to be ok?" Dita asked in concern.  
  
Duero nodded, then turned back to the blond young man, who was beginning to stir. "See?" Duero said. "He's starting to come around…"  
  
Meia had a worried look on her face. "Why haven't the other Dreads launched? Barnette should be able to lead them…"  
  
This time it was the Boss who answered. "The first wave of attacks also managed to disable the Register – the bastards got us good this time."  
  
"Gasco-san and the others…" Dita began, but the Boss merely smiled in return.  
  
"They're alright – just unable to fit the Dreads with any armament," Magno only smiled wider when she saw how relieved Dita – and the others, including Hibiki – became after her reassurance. "Why do you look so worried? It would take more than a few explosions to bring down Gascogne."  
  
"In the meantime though, we're defenseless," Meia noted.  
  
"More than that though," Jura added. "If he's not in the cockpit, then exactly who is steering the ship right now?"  
  
Almost as if on cue, the Nirvana began to list downwards and to the right, as a different alarm added its distinctive blare to the cacophony of warnings within the ship. "The gravity from the nearby planet is drawing us closer to the surface – our boosters do not have sufficient power to break free without Bart at the helm," Celtic reported, her face peeking out from beneath her bear suit.  
  
Magno gritted her teeth. "Now this seems nostalgic… Why is it that we always end up being caught between a rock and a hard place?"  
  
"Well, at least we don't have to worry about an Earth mothership this time around…" Ezra said hopefully.  
  
As more explosions rocked the ship, the Boss sighed. "That's what is known as 'cold comfort'…"  
  
"We've got to do something!" Hibiki exclaimed. The planet was looming closer and closer as the Nirvana accelerated towards it, pulled inexorably by the force of its gravity. "There's got to be something we can do!"  
  
"We could send out the Deriki – but to what end?" Magno answered. "It would be useless against that many enemies…"  
  
Hibiki fell silent then, and turned with the others to watch in silence as they tumbled towards the unknown planet. It was a watery orb for the most part, with large stretches of land that alternated between extensive mountain ranges and patches of green that seemed to indicate it was teeming with dense plant-life. Initial analysis had confirmed the existence of vegetative life forms - though whether or not there were any animals or people down there was still unknown, seeing as they had had little time to do anything but a perfunctory scan before the Earth forces had arrived.  
  
"Jura doesn't like the looks of this…" the blond haired girl stated, before shivering with distaste. "It doesn't look like a particularly hospitable place."  
  
"If it's a choice between that and the enemy, I'd rather have the planet *pyoro*" Piyoro replied. With a worried look at the swarming enemy cubes.  
  
"That's because robots don't have long, luxurious hair like Jura," the girl snorted.  
  
Before the navi-robot could reply however, a groan from the front of the bridge called their attention back to Bart. The ship's de facto pilot was groggily attempting to sit up, one hand going to his head.  
  
"Ouch, ouch, OUCH!" he moaned. "What hit me?"  
  
"We'll have time to explain later," BC cut in before anyone could respond. "What we need to do now is break free from the planet's gravity pulls us into its atmosphere."  
  
Bart blanched. "You want me to get back in there? After what I just went through?"  
  
"Why not take refuge within the atmosphere, like we did last time?" Meia asked.  
  
The silver-haired Sub-Commander shook her head. "It would be too dangerous – we can't put up our shields because of the enemies new weapon, and without them the pressure from atmospheric re-entry might tear the ship apart."  
  
"Sub-commander!" Belvedere interrupted. The blond bridge girl had an intense look on her face. "The enemies seem to have regrouped around a larger ship, one of unknown type."  
  
The crew members of the Nirvana turned to stare at the view screen. True enough the remaining cubes were now moving in fixed orbits around a roughly pyramid-shaped object, around the size of four of the smaller cube-types. The new enemy ship seemed to glow with an inner light, and as they watched, several coil like 'appendages' detached themselves from the main body of the pyramid and latched on to the cubes, one for each.  
  
"There seems to be some sort of energy fluctuation around the enemy formation," Amarone added from her position on the opposite side of the Bridge. "Something is definitely going on…"  
  
The pyramid was glowing more intensely now, and soon the light began to suffuse the encircling cube-type enemy ships as well. For a moment the cube- types stopped all movement… And then they began to circle the pyramid, slowly at first, but with increasing speed, until the pyramid was obscured by several dozen rings of light.  
  
"Wha – what the hell?" Hibiki whispered.  
  
"Energy build-up accelerating exponentially! Readings are going off the scale! " Belvedere reported, the rising pitch of her voice betraying her rising panic. She turned to the others with wide eyes. "At this rate, it's going to- "  
  
"Bart!" BC shouted, but the blonde haired helmsman was already jumping into the circle of Pexis which would transport him to his station. Within seconds the Nirvana's headlong rush towards the planet slowed, stopped, then slowly began to reverse. The ship began to pull away from the grip of the planet's gravity, and Bart let out a joyful whoop.  
  
"We're out of here! Time to do what I do best!"  
  
It was at that point that the enemy formation began to move - straight towards the Nirvana.  
  
"Bart!" Magno shouted. "Get us out of range!"  
  
"I can't!" Bart screamed. "The planet's still slowing me down!"  
  
"All power to shields!" the Sub-Commander ordered as the enemy rapidly closed the distance to the Nirvana. As it neared, Hibiki and the others could see the massive amount of energy which was building up within the orbits of the enemy cubes – it had reached the point where some of the cubes, unable to bear the energy that was being fed into their metallic frames, were beginning to come apart at the seams, light pouring out from within like sunlight breaching an overcast sky. What was to happen next soon became clear to all who were watching. The enemy ships were at a critical point – they were going to explode, and take the Nirvana with them.  
  
It wasn't just a mass of enemies in formation – it was a Single.Huge.Bomb.  
  
"Brace for impact!" BC shouted, just as the enemy reached the Nirvana's shields – and exploded.  
  
The shockwave was incredible, and the men and women of the Nirvana found themselves careening through the air as the ship was buffeted by the wave of force unleashed by the explosion. Hibiki grit his teeth as his head slammed against a bulkhead, his vision swimming briefly as the impact jarred his brain. He managed a painless but ungraceful landing as the ships gravity reasserted himself, but he was aware that the ship was still being propelled away from the explosion – and towards the waiting planet.  
  
The others were picking themselves up from where they had been flung by the explosion, Meia and Dita moving quickly to help the Boss, who had been jarred lose from the command chair and hurled a good three meters away.  
  
"I'm getting too old for this," Magno muttered as she let the two girls help her back to her seat, while the Bridge crew checked the status of the Nirvana.  
  
"The Nirvana has been caught by the planet's gravity, currently accelerating towards the atmosphere," Celtic reported, being the first to recover from her fall since she was cushioned to an extent by her bear suit. "Estimated time before planetary entry, two minutes."  
  
"Hey, Blondie!" Magno called out as she settled back into her chair. "Shake a leg!"  
  
An image of an exasperated Bart appeared on screen. "Hey! I'm trying here!"  
  
Moments later another window opened and the others caught a glimpse of a dishelved Parfet. "It's not Bart's fault… We took some damage from the blast and the engines don't have enough power to fight both the force of the explosion and the pull of gravity."  
  
"See?" Bart said, as his window displaced that of the Nirvana's Chief Engineer. "It's her fault not mine!"  
  
"Hey!"  
  
Ignoring Bart, BC turned to look at Ezra. "What's the status of our shields?"  
  
The pregnant woman sighed and shook her head. "They took quite a beating… We can get them back up to around sixty percent of full power – at most - by the time we breach the atmosphere… But no more than that."  
  
The silver haired woman turned towards Magno. "That's still below the safety level."  
  
The older woman nodded grimly. "Looks like we're in for a rough ride," she said, then thumbed open the comm channel. "Everyone! We're going to be making a little unexpected detour. Better strap yourselves to a seat in the next minute or so – and make sure the wounded are taken care of." The old woman paused a moment, before adding: "Just sit tight – pirates like us don't die easily!"  
  
A few ragged cheers could be heard over the comm as the remaining crew members on the Bridge found something to hold on to.  
  
"Since when are _we_ pirates?" Hibiki muttered as an aside to Duero, but it was Piyoro-kun who answered.  
  
"Since you began stuffing yourself with food from their larders *piyoro*"  
  
"Shut up!" he hissed, then surveyed the scene around him. He saw instantly that steps had been taken to protect the most vulnerable of the crew. Dita and Jura were clinging to Ezra's console, flanking her and her unborn child on both sides, while BC and Meia each had one hand gripping a handhold, and another one protectively wrapped around the Boss' shoulders.  
  
"Twenty seconds to impact," Belvedere announced.  
  
"Nineteen…"  
  
"Bart, get out of there!" BC barked. "Your body might not survive even if the ship does."  
  
"Fourteen…"  
  
"Thirteen…"  
  
Bart emerged, his clothes almost magically appearing around him. "Oh thank you Sub-Commander!" he said, his eyes misty with tears of relief. "I thought you'd forgotten about me…"  
  
"Ten…"  
  
"Just be ready to get back in the moment the pressure equalizes – we'll need you to steer us to a fitting crash site."  
  
"Eight…"  
  
Bart paled, then gulped.  
  
"Seven…"  
  
"Six…"  
  
"Uchuujin-san!" Dita cried out. "Please be careful!"  
  
"Four…"  
  
"You girls just make sure you don't get hurt!" Hibiki replied with a fierce grin. "Don't worry about us men!"  
  
Meia shook her head. "This is no time to get cocky!"  
  
"Two…"  
  
"One…"  
  
"Who are you calling - "  
  
"Impa - "  
  
- and then the world went black.  
  
==[End of Chapter One]==  
  
Author's Note: And so it begins ^_^  
  
I'd originally intended to write a longer chapter, but then it would be more natural to end it here I suppose. Think of this as more of a teaser really, and a set-up. As you may have inferred from the title, most of this fic is going to take place planetside, so don't expect a lot of Vanguard, Dread and Vandread action. I've got all sorts of other types of 'action' awaiting though, as well as that elusive quality called 'character inter- ACTION'.  
  
Though the chapters will get much longer, the series itself will be short, about 4 – 5 chapters. Most of it is already outlined in my head, so hopefully it shouldn't take too long to finish, though I'm working on a lot of other things as well.  
  
In any case I hope you enjoyed the first installment. And hopefully, there will be more Vandread fics to come from both me and from others – maybe even you dear reader? ^_^ 


	2. Welcome to the Jungle

Ender presents…  
  
==[A Vandread Fanfiction Series]==  
  
As consciousness slowly returned to him Hibiki Tokai became aware of two things.  
  
First, his body ached all over, as if he had been used as a rag doll by a particularly rowdy group of children. He assumed that this was probably the result of being tossed around the entire length and breadth of the bridge during re-entry.  
  
Second, his face was currently resting on a soft mound that reminded him of a pair of fluffy pillows. While Hibiki had never been as attached to his pillows as Bart was, he had to admit that his current position was very comfortable.  
  
At this point however, the part of Hibiki's mind which lodged his survival instincts came partially awake. To his knowledge there was a grand total of ZERO pillows on the bridge of the Nirvana, and the bridge itself was constructed with a material he could hardly characterize as 'fluffy'. Add to this his past experience of 'soft objects' on the ship – his mind gave him brief flashes of Jura and Celtic before he could suppress those thoughts – and the only logical conclusion that he could come up with was that he had once more been cushioned by some strange piece of female anatomy.  
  
Hibiki's suspicions proved accurate as he lifted himself up slightly and saw that he had been lying face down on those two, globular protrusions that women seemed to posses – in varying sizes – on their chest.  
  
Here we must be reminded that Hibiki's brain – most notably his survival instincts – was only partially awake. Or perhaps, it went back to sleep; That is the only rationale currently available as to why Hibiki did not recognize the white uniform of the woman he had been using as a pillow. Such sleepiness on his part might also begin to explain the complete failure of instinct that resulted when, his curiosity piqued, Hibiki started poking the aforementioned globular protrusions.  
  
"I wonder what the hell these are…" he managed to get out - before Meia's hard right jab sent him reeling.  
  
"Geez, it wasn't like I did it on purpose," he found himself explaining a moment later, after Meia had recovered her composure and they were both on their feet. "I don't know why you're so sensitive about those whatever- they-ares anyway…"  
  
Meia gave him a strange look. "Maybe someday, someone will explain it to you. It certainly won't be me."  
  
Hibiki shook his head. "I really don't get what the big deal is though… I mean, Jura uses them to grip my head!"  
  
For some reason, the usually stoic Meia went a bit pale at that. "Well, I'm not Jura…" she finally answered.  
  
The two of them surveyed the bridge. The others were still unconscious, lying in various heaps along the length of the bridge. With the exception of the Boss and the bridge crew – who had been firmly strapped to their seats – they would all have rather colorful bruises in a few hours, but otherwise they looked ok.  
  
"Well, they're still out cold," Hibiki said while scratching his head. "At least Duero's already here and he can treat the others when they wake - but I wonder how the rest of the ship - "  
  
"Hibiki," Meia cut in. "Look at this…" Her voice had an odd ring to it, and Hibiki turned to see her staring out the front view port.  
  
Green. That was the first word that came to mind as he stared out across the vista that stretched before him. His first real exposure to a 'garden' had been on the Nirvana, but the plant life just outside the ship made the small, man-made 'park' within the ship pale in comparison. The 'trees' – if they could still be called thus – seemed to be enormous, more that triple the height of Hibiki's Bangatta. The trees covered almost the entirety of the land, including the mountains which Hibiki could see nearby. Even the spaces between the huge trees were covered with tall grass, and shrubbery of all kinds, interrupted only by the blue swath of a nearby river, which cut across their view to pass them to the right.  
  
The two of them stared out the view port in silence for a few long moments. Then Hibiki noticed something odd.  
  
"Meia?"  
  
"Hmmm?" she replied, still entranced by the view.  
  
"Is it just me or are those trees getting… bigger?"  
  
That seemed to snap her out of her daze, and she looked quickly towards him before turning back to the view, her eyes more focused this time. Almost imperceptibly, the tree line seemed to be rising, slowly but surely.  
  
"No, that's not it," the Dread Leader muttered. She moved towards Belvedere's console and punched in a few commands. Instantly the view panned out, until the two of them could see exactly where the Nirvana had landed.  
  
"This is _not_ good…" Hibiki whispered.  
  
"Wake the others," ordered Meia. "Quickly."  
  
The Nirvana had landed in a lake of some viscous, brown substance that seemed half way between a solid and a liquid.  
  
And they were sinking. Fast.  
  
==[VANDREAD]==  
  
Vandread: MAROONED  
  
Chapter Two: Welcome to the Jungle  
  
Disclaimer: While I own this fic, Gonzo owns Vandread. And here's to the hope that they make use of that ownership for a long time to come…  
  
Timeline: This series takes place in-between the ending of the First Stage and the start of the Second Stage. Think of it as Stage 1.5 perhaps ^_^  
  
==[VANDREAD]==  
  
"That was quite a nap," Magno said as the last of the crew were awakened. Duero was tending to the more seriously injured back at the clinic, but as far as the bridge crew went, everyone was functional. "But I guess its time to get back to work. Ezra, what's our current status?"  
  
Ezra's hand flew over the controls. "The ship sank 45% into the mud before it stabilized due to the Nirvana's portside and starboard 'wings'. Current calculations estimate three or four days before the condition destabilizes enough to be a problem."  
  
"Good," the Boss replied. "I never liked working under a clock." She nodded towards the pregnant woman. "Have all stations report in."  
  
A few moments after Ezra relayed the command, a window showing the Chief Engineer of the Nirvana popped up.  
  
"This is Parfet from the Engine Room," the pigtailed Engineer said, her voice betraying a hint of worry.  
  
"How are things Parfet?" Magno asked.  
  
"Well the damage to the Engines was minimal, except that we have a few exposed power lines along the ships length. The mud might clog the engines a bit as well, but I don't think there will be much of a problem…"  
  
"I sense a 'but' coming…" the Boss sighed.  
  
"But," Parfet said, giving truth to the Boss' prediction. "The real problem seems to be with the Pexis. Again."  
  
"The Pexis?" BC asked. "What's wrong with it this time?"  
  
"Frankly I'm not really sure," Parfet replied. "It's working fine but it seems… distracted." The Engineer seemed to be embarrassed by the use of such an unscientific term. "Efficiency and power output are down across the board, though only minimally, and it's been getting these erratic surges of power, almost as if it were – I don't know how to put it – shivering."  
  
Almost as soon as Parfet had finished speaking the lights on the bridge grew intensely bright and then just as suddenly faded back to normal -–but not before a warning light came on at Amarone's console.  
  
"We've got a mid-sized explosion near one of the exposed power lines," she reported. "Nothing major but it did a bit of damage."  
  
"Was that caused by the power surge?" BC asked.  
  
"It's possible, but it wasn't that big a surge…" Parfet said. "I'll check it out." So saying, her window blinked out as she cut the connection.  
  
BC turned to the Boss. "With your permission I'd like to run some tests as well." The silver haired woman turned to look out at the jungle before them. "Something doesn't seem quite right…"  
  
Magno nodded, then turned back to the screen as another window opened, this time showing Gascogne, using the link from a corridor outside of the register.  
  
"This is Gascogne," the long haired veteran said, her trademark 'toothpick' still clenched between her teeth. "We're still trying to fix the register, but that might take some doing." She stepped back to allow them a full view of the damage done.  
  
"How long do you think it will take?" Magno asked.  
  
Gascogne shrugged. "Could be a day or two… It depends really. They didn't hit us squarely, but because of the 'explosive' nature of most of our menu, it would be best to take extra care. Some of those armaments would explode the moment they were exposed to air, and an internal explosion is the last thing we need right now."  
  
BC's eyes narrowed as she heard Gascogne's words. She turned to Celtic. "Cel, I need you to give me an analysis of the atmosphere immediately surrounding the ship. Quickly now."  
  
The green haired girl started at the urgency in the Sub-Commander's voice, but then she nodded and went to work. BC in the meantime refocused her analysis – not on the exposed power lines, but on the mud which encased the lower portion of the Nirvana.  
  
"Well," Magno was saying. It might be easier for us to repair if we get out of this mud hole and back into space – the drones will work more efficiently if they don't have to deal with an atmosphere. Ezra, patch us through to Parfet one more."  
  
Parfet's window appeared just beside Gascogne's. "I'm sorry Boss, I haven't been able to figure out yet what caused the explosion…"  
  
Magno shook her head. "I wasn't expecting you to have done so – what I wanted to ask was the status of our engines. Can we fire them off even while submerged in this mud?"  
  
"Sub-commander!" Celtic called out. "I've finished my analysis – transmitting the data to you now."  
  
A tone from her console told BC that their analysis was complete as well, and as she read the combined data, her eyes widened.  
  
On screen, Parfait was nodding. "I don't think the mud should be a problem – our Engines are powerful enough to break through with little difficulty. There won't even be enough of the gook left after take off to require a clean it up."  
  
The Boss nodded. "Alright then," she turned to Bart, who had been lounging around near his post during the entire discussion. "Your turn, Blondie."  
  
The man sighed, then, nursing a nasty bruise on his forehead, he dragged himself to his post. "Mercy for the injured isn't common amongst you women is it?… Oh well," he sighed once more as he entered his post.  
  
Magno chuckled. "Not a diligent bone in your body is there? Though its too bad we have to leave so soon – it's been a while since I saw such a fertile land. Would have liked to do some sight-seeing," the Boss chuckled. Then she straightened and took a deep breath. "Very well then Bart, full speed ahe- "  
  
"Stop!" BC interrupted. "Don't fire the engines!"  
  
"BC?" Magno asked in surprise.  
  
Bart's head popped up on screen. "Eh? What's wrong? What's the holdup? It's really not all that comfortable, feeling as if I have mud stuck up my butt…"  
  
"Better that than the feeling of having it blown off," BC shot back. "Which is what would have happened if we'd activated the engines while still in this mud. Look," she pointed, as the data from analysis began to scroll on – screen.  
  
"Those are peroxy compounds!" Parfet exclaimed after a while, as her eyes roved through the data.  
  
While BC nodded, the others had confused looks on their faces.  
  
"Peroxy compounds contain the characteristic peroxide oxygen-oxygen bond," the pig tailed girl explained. "They are violently reactive or explosive – if they're exposed to fire or flammable materials they tend to go off with a rather spectacular 'boom'."  
  
Again BC nodded. "The mud we're immersed in is saturated with these compounds – and so is the atmosphere around us, though to a lesser extent. That's probably what caused the explosion near the exposed power lines. Normally such detonations would do little damage – but if they occurred _within_ the engines…"  
  
There was complete silence on the bridge following BC's words.  
  
Bart gulped.  
  
"Nothing's ever simple for us is it?" Magno sighed. "Looks like we'll get to do some sight seeing after all…"  
  
==[VANDREAD]==  
  
"So there's no way we can just blast our way out of here eh?" Gascogne asked.  
  
"Not unless we want to risk being stranded here permanently, no," BC replied. "I don't think we have the materials available for a complete engine restoration – even if the Pexis hasn't modified our engines beyond regulation parts."  
  
The Boss and her two senior subordinates were gathered in the Strategy Room of the Nirvana, trying to come up with a more thorough assessment of their situation while formulating a plan of action.  
  
"Is there any other way we could get her out of the mud?" Magno asked. "Using the Vanguards of the men perhaps, to pull her out?"  
  
Her silver haired second in command shook her head. "Maybe, but that would be a monumental task. It would probably be a better strategy to use one of the Vandread to cut a channel to drain the mud – but we can't do that until we finish repairs on the docking bays."  
  
"Even worse," Gascogne added. "Both the Dread hangar and the larger one where the Vanguard and the modified Dreads are stored are in the part of the ship immersed in the mud. While the Vanguard might be able to claw its way out somehow, the Dreads would be useless without the ability to use their boosters."  
  
Magno took a deep breath. "Well, it looks like we're going to be guests here for a while longer…" She turned to BC. "No sign of the Earth forces? We're sitting ducks down here."  
  
"None at all," BC replied. "It seems like their final attack was a suicide run, and that particular enemy force was destroyed completely in their final attack. It is unknown whether they were able to communicate our location to any of the other fleets however."  
  
"Well that gives us some breathing room at least," the Boss said. Next she turned to Gascogne. "Will we be able to at least raise the shields if the enemy attacks again?"  
  
The woman nodded. "I don't think that will prove a problem, although Parfet tells me that the Pexis is still acting strangely." Gascogne tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I _do_ think it would be best to reduce our power levels to a bare minimum though. Those exposed power lines could still be a source of explosions if the Pexis keeps acting up. Optimally, we could switch to minimal life support during the day time. We could stay on the planets surface during that period and return here for rest or whenever we required shelter."  
  
"So we'll be staying outside you mean?" Magno asked. Then she smiled. "I don't think Jura is going to like that…"  
  
Gascogne barked a laugh. "Jura's not the only one – the readings show the surface to be livable, but swelteringly hot. Actually, considering the amount of skin Jura shows, she should be less bothered by the heat than the rest of us…"  
  
"Not that it will stop her from complaining," the Boss grinned.  
  
"Not really, but then, that's our Jura," the long haired veteran answered. Then she smiled. "We'll just tell her it's a picnic or something and lure her out with some of Barnette's cooking."  
  
"On that subject," BC interrupted, "the issue of food brings up another reason why we need to go planetside." She flicked a switch near her seat and pointed to a stream of data. "Food supplies are running a bit low," she said. "Analysis shows that once we get a good distance from the mud, the atmosphere becomes breathable – healthy in fact. Such an abundance of plant life seems to imply that there would be a fair amount of wildlife as well, and it can be assumed that at least some would be edible. We should probably send out a scouting party – not only to recon our surroundings but to acquire some supplies as well."  
  
"So we're to go hunting eh?" Gascogne said, with a wide smile. "That sounds like fun!"  
  
"_You_ are going to have to stay here and help supervise the repairs," Magno told Gascogne. As the younger woman sighed, the Boss returned her gaze to BC. "Issue the appropriate orders regarding the switch to minimal power output, and have a shift list ready for who will be outside and who will be inside the ship at any given time."  
  
The Sub – Commander nodded. "Affirmative Boss."  
  
"As to the scouting party…" Magno continued. "Do you have anyone specific in mind?"  
  
BC smiled. "As a matter of fact I do…"  
  
==[VANDREAD]==  
  
  
  
Barnette was whistling happily to herself as she left the ship, carrying a bag full of ancient, projectile fire arms slung over her shoulder.  
  
"You're late," Meia said, as the black haired girl joined the group. The rest had gathered there quite a bit earlier: BC, Hibiki and a few of the more athletic Dread pilots. Dita had insisted on coming along as well when she found out that Hibiki was going, and the Sub Commander had decided it would be less vexing to just take the energetic red head along. All of them were wearing stripped down breathing filters while in the vicinity of the mud.  
  
"Sorry, sorry," Barnette apologized, though she didn't really sound contrite to Meia's ears. "It's just that I thought we might need some 'real' guns just in case we find ourselves in an area like this one where energy discharges could cause an explosion."  
  
Meia had trouble seeing the logic in that statement but she decided to let it slide. "Fine – but did you have to bring so many?"  
  
Barnette shrugged. "Well, it's best to be prepared…"  
  
One of the other Dread Pilots shook her head. "Oh, be honest Barnette," she sniffed. "You just wanted an excuse to play."  
  
The only reply their companion made to that was a wide, predatory grin.  
  
"All right," BC announced as the doorway opened. "Let's move out…"  
  
"Wait!" came a shout from behind them. "Wait, wait – kero!"  
  
"Pai?" Dita exclaimed in surprise, as the young nurse came to join them, also wearing a breathing apparatus.  
  
Paiway reached them a few seconds, then stopped to catch her breath, then spoke through her frog puppet. "Let me come with you! I want to check the green planet as well-kero!"  
  
BC frowned. "What are you talking about Pai? Contrary to what you may have heard, this isn't a sight seeing trip…"  
  
The young girl cringed a little at the Sub Commander's tone of voice but she held her ground. "I – I know that," she said, speaking in her normal voice. "It's just I've been cooped up in the ship all this time… It's been so long since I've been home – I mean, on a planet…" Her head bowed as she continued, as if ashamed, and her foot was making little circles on the deck. "And the planet looked so interesting… Maybe there'll be animals or something… Maybe frogs or – or…" she trailed off then, refusing to look at any of them.  
  
Meia understood then. It wasn't some idle whim that moved Paiway to try to come with them – she was homesick. Pai was probably the youngest of all those on board, and their long separation from their homeland must surely be taking its toll on her. It didn't help that her closest friend on board – Dita – had been so totally focused on Hibiki that she had little time to spend with Pai. Meia was about to ask BC to take her along when a male voice beat her to it.  
  
"Well it wouldn't hurt to take a few pictures I guess…" Hibiki was saying, awkwardly scratching the back of his head. "We might need them for um, analysis or something."  
  
Barnette rolled her eyes. "And you thought _my_ excuse was lame…"  
  
BC looked from Paiway to Hibiki and back, then shook her head. "All right, but you take charge of her Hibiki."  
  
"Who, me?" Hibiki exclaimed, but Paiway had already began to shout for joy, grabbing Dita by the arm and running before the group.  
  
"Hooray! Hooray-kero! You won't regret it, I promise!"  
  
The party began to move out then, leaving Hibiki behind, still scratching his head. "Just what I need, another baka to watch out for…"  
  
"Well, at least you made Pai happy," Meia said as she passed him.  
  
The man shook his head and sighed. "Well, I guess I do owe it to her. I mean, from what I hear I'm the reason she doesn't get to spend so much time with _her_," he said, in the tone that he used whenever referring to Dita. He never called the red-head by name – perhaps in retaliation for the fact that she never called him anything but 'Mr. Alien'. "Not that it's _my_ fault that she's always hanging around me," Hibiki was quick to add.  
  
Meia gave the shorter male an appraising look. "I think you're actually maturing a bit Hibiki…"  
  
The boy blushed a bit at that, then he grinned. "Heh… You're not exactly the same either if you're starting to dish out compliments so easily…"  
  
Meia allowed herself a faint smile before turning towards the door. "Come on, let's catch up with the others…"  
  
==[VANDREAD]==  
  
Back on the ship, Parfet had just finished her twenty fifth check on the Pexis system – with the same results.  
  
"Everything seems normal - if a little less efficient, most of the time - and then all of a sudden you power up, then power down again," the Chief Engineer sighed, then shook her head. "I swear, alive or not, you can be worse than a child at times, you know that?"  
  
"The Pexis is being uncooperative I take it?" came a deep voice from behind her.  
  
"Oh… Doctor," she said, as Duero approached her. She greeted him with a smile before turning back to the controls. "Yes, you might say that…"  
  
Duero took a position beside her and glanced at the readings on- screen. Parfet knew that Duero had no real training in machines or engineering, but with the amount of time he had spent helping her, he was bound to have picked up some rudimentary knowledge. This man was quick, and whip smart from what Parfet could tell, and even more curious than she was when it came to new things. Perhaps that was why she liked him…  
  
"Are you ok?" the Doctor asked. "You seem… flushed. Do you have a fever?"  
  
Parfet gave a start, embarrassed to be caught staring. "Oh its… its nothing," she said quickly. What was wrong with her? Pexis weird moods must be contagious. "So uhm, what do you think Doctor?"  
  
He frowned. "You know that machines aren't my area of expertise…"  
  
"You know as well as I do that the Pexis seems oddly alive at times," she reminded him. "It certainly isn't acting like a machine right now. These power surges seem totally random, and even when not going bonkers, everything seems to be performing slower than usual."  
  
"As if its attention were elsewhere?" he asked.  
  
Parfet smiled up at him. "You know, I told the Boss almost exactly the same thing not two hours ago…"  
  
"Well, you're usually correct," Duero said as he leaned forward to get a closer look at the data, oblivious to the fact that Parfet had flushed once more at the off-handed compliment. Just then, a low humming sound signaled another influx of power, followed by a brief plunge into darkness before things reverted back to normal.  
  
"There it goes again," Parfet said. "It's so strange…"  
  
The doctor had a thoughtful look on his face. "If it really were alive, I'd be tempted to say it was hyperventilating," he said, in a thoughtful voice.  
  
"Hyperventilating?" the Engineer asked. "Why?"  
  
"In living organisms, such a phenomenon usually results from some shock to the system, a serious emotional disturbance," Duero said. "Anticipation, or anger… or fear perhaps. My guess is that the Pexis is feeling profoundly disturbed by something, whatever it is that's attracting its attention right now."  
  
"But what?" Parfet asked, turning apprehensively back towards the blue globe in which rested so many of their hopes and prayers. "What on this world could possibly make the ship afraid?"  
  
"I don't know," the man answered. "Let us hope that we are able to leave without having to find out…"  
  
==[VANDREAD]==  
  
"Uchuujin-san!" Dita called out. "Look at this!"  
  
"Yes, yes, very nice…" Hibiki answered, without bothering to even look at what new piece of local flora or fauna Dita was currently pointing at. During her first few attempts at sharing her enthusiasm, he had tried to explain to the red headed girl that he wasn't very interested in the 'pretty flowers' or 'cute animals' – save for the ones that BC pointed out which might possibly be converted into edible, women-type meals. Such plants as those were collected into containers that were distributed amongst the group, while suitably edible animals were easily dispatched by either Meia's ring or Barnette's guns. They had been moderately successful so far, and Hibiki was actually carrying one of the larger beast carcasses – having foolishly made an of-hand comment about men being physically stronger than women – while Dita had the handles of four containers looped around her arm. Of course, whether or not their new 'ingredients' were actually safe to eat was another matter… Though Hibiki would be mighty annoyed if the effort they had expended – especially hunting the animals – was going to go to waste…  
  
The concept of 'hunting' animals for food was alien to the boy – back on Taraku, the men had subsisted on tasteless nutrient capsules manufactured by people like Bart's grandfather. He still found the fact that he was putting various animal parts into his mouth to be somewhat unnerving, but the succulent taste of women's cooking was more than enough to cause him to suppress his reservations on the matter.  
  
"Neh, Uchuujin-san…" Dita scolded him, pulling on his sleeve. "You're not even listening to me are you? Dita has already shown you three more of the pretty flowers, and you didn't even turn your head…"  
  
Hibiki heaved a heavy sigh and scratched the back of his head. "It's just – this really isn't something a man would be interested in you know!" he burst out in frustration.  
  
Dita blinked. "So… what _are_ men interested in?"  
  
"Well there's fighting, and then there's machines and then there's…" he paused then. "Then there's… there's…" Hibiki stopped, his face taking on a thoughtful expression.  
  
"That's all? That's it?" Dita asked incredulously.  
  
"Just give me a moment!" Hibiki shouted. The boy wracked his brains for the memories of how he had spent his free time back on Taraku, searching for something that had occupied him when he hadn't been working on the assembly line. There must have been something…  
  
Before he could come up with anything though, Dita seemed to grow tired of waiting. "Maybe I should show them to Leader – Dita thinks she's interested in the pretty flowers and cute animals…"  
  
Hibiki barked a laugh. "Somehow, I have trouble imagining that gloomy girl having much interest in anything 'cute'," he said. "Meia's more of a 'man' than the real males sometimes…"  
  
"Well, Dita thinks you're wrong," the red head said, before pulling on Hibiki's sleeve once more. "Look over there Uchuujin-san…"  
  
Hibiki turned to where she was pointing. Standing a ways beyond the group – though not too far away – the boy could see Meia kneeling over a small plant. The normally stoic girl had a half smile on her face as she leaned this way and that, seemingly taking in the small plant from all possible angles. She brushed her fingers lightly amongst the newly unfurled leaves, before straightening and getting back on her feet. The blue haired Dread Leader paused for a moment to survey her surroundings, her eyes drinking in the vastness of the forest before almost reluctantly heading back to the group once when BC called for her.  
  
Hibiki stared at her for a moment before shaking his head ruefully. "Well I'll be damned… looks like you were right after all."  
  
The girl beside him laughed, then clutched at his arms. "Dita likes it when Uchuujin-san compliments her!"  
  
The boy blanched a bit at her touch. "Watch it you baka! Don't get any ideas!" He looked around furtively. "I certainly don't want that little weirdling 'checking' us in this position…"  
  
At the mention of her friend, Dita relaxed her hold on him a bit. "Now that you mention it… Where is Paiway? I haven't seen her for a while…"  
  
Hibiki shrugged. "How should I know? She's not my responsibility…"  
  
"Er, actually she is," Dita contradicted him. "Didn't Uchuujin-san promise the Sub-Commander that he'd take care of Paiway?"  
  
"I never agreed to that!" the man sputtered.  
  
"Dita doesn't think that the Sub-Commander will see it that way…"  
  
Hibiki sighed and began to scan the area anew, keeping his eyes peeled for any sign of the young nurse. To one side, Barnette was showing off her guns again, and instructing some of the younger pilots on how to use them. Slightly beyond that group, Meia and BC were giving instructions to the Dread pilots, each of whom would scamper off in a different direction, while others remained to listen. Hibiki searched their group with his eyes, but he couldn't find any sign of the frog-obsessed little girl anywhere. The boy growled low in his throat and began to stride off in a random direction.  
  
"Uchuujin-san!" Dita called out. "Where are you going?"  
  
"Where else?" he replied, as he plunged deeper into the forest. "I'm going to find that little brat before she gets me into trouble with BC…"  
  
The red head made a move to follow after him – but just then Meia called her name, and after a frantic look at the rapidly retreating form of Hibiki, she moved towards the officers to receive her instructions.  
  
==[VANDREAD]==  
  
The sky was already darkening before Hibiki stumbled upon Paiway, and by that point he was in foul humor. It seemed that her long confinement within the ship had done little to weaken the muscles in her legs, as she sped from one location to another faster than Vandread Meia – though he should have expected that from the speed by which she moved even within the ship, when 'checking' her newest 'scoop'. He'd be pointed to one place by a helpful Dread pilot, only to find that he had missed her by a minute, a second, and then he would be pointed to another location where the cycle would repeat itself. In the process he had wasted a better part of an hour and gotten bruised and scratched by every conceivable piece of shrubbery in the damned forest. By the time he caught up with her, all that was keeping him going was the thought of dragging her back to camp by her twin ponytails. The fact that she so obviously seemed to be having the time of her life was merely icing on his rising irritation.  
  
"Check-here," she sang, clicking her ever-present camera at some strange looking plant life, "check-there, everywhere a-check-check kero!"  
  
_Just a little more_ Hibiki thought to himself, as he neared the clearing where the girl was 'checking'. He'd decided that as much as possible, he'd keep well hidden until he could pounce on her – he didn't want to risk her running of again. She certainly looked like she still had energy to spare, while Hibiki was on his last legs.  
  
"Hmm?" Paiway said. "What was that?"  
  
Instantly Hibiki flattened himself on the ground, but Paiway wasn't looking in his direction. Instead, she was looking up at the treetops, as if searching for something. While the tops of the trees remained hidden from view, their branches began fairly low to the ground, and a dense canopy was formed a mere three meters or so from the ground.  
  
"Did something move?" the girl asked herself. Seeing nothing, she appeared to give up, but just then, a rustling sound came from the undergrowth to her left, and she turned swiftly, camera at the ready.  
  
"What was that?" she yelped. She looked uncertain for a moment before brightening suddenly. "Maybe it's a frog!" she cried out, hastening towards the source of the movement.  
  
Hibiki rose from his hiding place, feeling a bit worried inspite of himself. He had no experience with hunting, and the animals that they had encountered had seemed to be no danger – but the fighter in him had seen enough to know when to be cautious. Beautiful as it was, this world was alien to them, and ignorance could make a death trap out of the most mundane of things. His fears may be unwarranted, but even so he decided that it was time to stop playing around. He took a step forward, ready to call Paiway back, to manhandle her if necessary…  
  
That's when he saw the beast.  
  
He really had no other way to describe it – in truth he couldn't see enough of it to come up with a better definition. All he could see was a silhouette, slinking silently through the bush to Paiway's right, slowly making its way towards her rear as she worked her way deeper into the bush. It's skin seemed to blend in with the surroundings – Hibiki would have missed it had an errant ray from the setting sun not glanced off a shiny part of its body. As the boy watched, the creature apparently decided that it had taken enough precautions – it was getting ready to pounce.  
  
There was no time to think. Before the beast could leap, Hibiki had covered the distance between himself and Paiway. Throwing himself forward, he managed to knock the startled nurse off her feet, just as the beast sailed through the air where she had been standing moments before. Hibiki and Paiway hit the ground hard, rolling a few feet before coming to a stop.  
  
"Hi – Hibiki!" Pai screamed. "What are you doing?!?"  
  
"No time," he said, cutting her off. "Get out of here, get out of here now!"  
  
The young girl opened her mouth, probably to ask him to name a reason why in the world she should do such a thing, when the reason let out a ground-shaking roar.  
  
"No questions – just go!" Hibiki cried as he stood up, pulling Pai to her feet along with him before pushing her in the direction of the camp. His eyes scanned the ground but he could find no sign of the beast – but the roar indicated that it was still around, and probably angry. "Warn the others and come back for me! Run!"  
  
The young girl threw a frightened glance in his direction, then turned and ran as fast as she could. Hibiki hoped she could find her way back to the others – for his sake as well as her own. For now though he had to put that worry out of his mind – there was a battle coming, and Hibiki Tokai had yet to back down from a fight.  
  
"Ora ora… if you're going to fight, come out into the open!"  
  
The only response he received to his challenge was silence. Not that he had expected the beast to respond – truth to tell such shows of bravado were more for his own sake than anything else. Whatever the creature was, it was cunning… Hibiki had seen ample evidence of that in the way that it had tried to blind side Paiway. This was no simple minded animal he was dealing with here…It would try to attack from an angle which he'd least expect…  
  
And that was when Hibiki remembered that Pai had first heard the beast from above the canopy…  
  
He leapt out of the way just in time, the beasts claws only managing to nick him on the shoulder as it dove towards him from above. Hibiki lashed out with his foot, but found that the beasts hide was as solid as concrete. In the next second, Hibiki found himself hurtling through the air, sent flying by a backhanded blow from the creature. He crashed painfully into the bush, a good three meters away from the creature, landing hard on his left arm. Hibiki winced as pain erupted from his arm, enough for him to know it had been broken. He cursed roundly as he struggled to right himself, despite the pain – if the odds had been against him before, they were even worse now.  
  
It was at this moment that he got his first good look at his opponent. At first it approached him on all fours, slinking low in the grass, but eventually it rose up on its two hind legs and gazed down at Hibiki with pupil-less, black eyes. Long hair covered the rest of its brutish face, as well as its body, a body which seemed oddly humanoid, save for the fact that it was more massively muscled. Even with the added mass however, the creature moved with an inhuman grace, making no sounds as it walked upon the forest floor. More surprising to Hibiki was the fact that what he had originally taken to be skin that blended in with the plant-life was in fact some sort of primitive camouflage. It was almost possible to believe that what stood before him was a man, and not an animal, if not for toughness of its skin, and the fangs that the creature revealed in a grotesque parody of a smile as it advanced towards Hibiki's prone form.  
  
Hibiki scrambled backwards on his feet and one good arm, the creature following slowly… Almost as if enjoying the chase. He began to curse himself for not having had the foresight to bring a weapon, but he suppressed such thoughts immediately – they wouldn't help him now. The boy knew he had to think of something, and quick, if he was going to survive long enough for Pai to return with the others. He strained his ears for any sound of their approach, but he knew it was too early for Pai to have even made it back to the impromptu camp. The forest was silent… But in that silence Hibiki heard something else, something that cave him hope: Running water. There was a river of some sort nearby, and with that knowledge came a plan.  
  
Hibiki stopped moving, pretending to be in too injured to continue, his hands clutching at the dirt in pain. In actuality though, he was collecting ammunition, and when the creature leaned in close enough, Hibiki threw a handful of dirt and rocks into its face. As the creature roared its rage, Hibiki jerked painfully himself to his feet, and ran full speed towards the sound of the river. If he could just make it in, the current would carry him downstream, closer to the Nirvana - assuming that this was the same river that he had seen from the ship. There was no guarantee of that, but it was the best he could come up with at the moment, and the only one that held a glimmer of hope for success.  
  
What he hadn't expected was for the beasts roar to be echoed to his right side. And his left. And directly in front of him. The beast's roar hadn't been solely one of anger. It had been a call for reinforcements. And its friends had answered.  
  
Hibiki managed to continue towards the river for a good five minutes before the first of the beasts caught him. It bounded out from behind a particularly large tree, tackling him across the legs and forcing him into another painful tumble. He found himself raised into the air, his neck gripped painfully by the claws of his assailant, its sharp nails biting into his flesh. He struggled for breath, and from the corner of his eye saw another of the beasts arrive. Suddenly he was flying through the air, straight at the other beast which backhanded him painfully, sending him flying in another direction. He didn't know how long the beasts toyed with him – even in his pain filled, muddled state, he was sure that more had arrived – but by the time he finally hit the ground, he was bleeding profusely both externally and internally, and his body was a tight know of pain. He tried to raise his head but the pain was such that he could hardly move it at all. Even then though he could see the feet of a multitude of beasts, forming a mini forest of their own. Hibiki watched as they drew nearer and felt the bitter taste of defeat in his mouth…  
  
He had never expected it would end this way. Even when he had been a nobody working in the assembly line basements of Taraku, he had known there was something in his blood calling out for more. Then he had come to the Nirvana, and he had been sure it was his destiny – to make a difference, to prove himself, to be someone… Not just to be killed by beasts who merely saw him as food, not to die a meaningless death… Helpless against a foe he could not hurt. He tried once more to get up, but the effort was too much, and he fell back, coughing blood.  
  
"Uchuujin-san!" screamed a familiar voice, and suddenly the air was filled with the whir of energy weapons, and singed flesh. As one the beasts seemed to howl and bound away from him, and soon he found himself cradled in Dita's arms.  
  
"Uchuujin-san, are you alright?"  
  
"What… do…_you_ … think… baka…" he replied through gritted teeth.  
  
Footsteps from behind heralded another's approach. "He's bleeding badly," he heard Meia say. "We have to get him back to the Nirvana as soon as possible."  
  
Another voice replied, BC's. "We'll have to make a stretcher of some sort. Call Barnette and the others back and have them establish a defensive perimeter while we do so. This forest is crawling with – unggh!"  
  
"Sub – Commander!" Dita screamed as sounds of stubble erupted all around them. Hibiki tired to get up, tried to help but he was too weak.  
  
"Dita!" Meia was shouting. "Grab his legs! We have to get him away from here!"  
  
Dita complied and soon Hibiki found himself none too gently into the air. He grit his teeth as a fresh wave of pain wracked his body. "Where are we going?" he heard the red head ask. Meia didn't reply, but soon Hibiki heard the sounds of the river grow steadily louder. It seemed the blue haired Dread Leader had the same idea he had.  
  
"No," he whispered. "Have to stay… And fight. Help others…"  
  
"There are too many," Meia replied grimly. "I could see them – they had Barnette and the others in some sort of net already… There were only a handful of us remaining when we left, and by now I wouldn't be surprised if it was down to the three of us."  
  
"What are we going to do Leader?" Dita asked.  
  
Meia was silent a moment before replying. "We have to get Hibiki back to the Nirvana for treatment. We'll jump into the river and let the current carry us downwards," she said. Then she finished in a determined voice: "Then we'll come back for the others."  
  
"Don't make me a burden," Hibiki said, his breathing ragged from the effort. "Don't leave the others…"  
  
"Do you think I want to?" Meia snapped. "Stop being stupid – we're not going to let you die out here."  
  
Soon they broke out from under the shade of the canopy and into the warm sunlight. Hibiki could hear the rush of the water and he knew the river was nearby. He was about to ask them once more to go back when he heard the roar of a beast, and suddenly he felt the supporting arms of Meia wrenched away from him. If Dita hadn't pulled him painfully to herself, his head would have hit the floor.  
  
"Leader!"  
  
A few feet away Meia was struggling with another of the beasts, trying desperately to get her arm in a position where she could make use of her ring. After a minute or two of struggling, she finally did, but when she emerged from under the beasts carcass, the other two could see she was bleeding profusely from her side. Hibiki was about to say something when the forest behind them seemed to erupt with dozens of the beasts, all heading in their direction.  
  
Hibiki knew at that instance what the blue-haired girl was planning. "Meia, don't do it…"  
  
She paid him no heed. "Get him back to the Nirvana Dita," she said, as she turned to face the advancing mass of creatures. "I'll hold them back for as long as I can."  
  
"Leader!" Dita shouted, but Meia cut her of abruptly.  
  
"Don't make me waste energy arguing with you!" she said. "Just go Dita! Or else Hibiki is dead!"  
  
"No I won't…" Hibiki began, but Dita, sobbing, was already hauling him away, half dragging, half lifting him ever closer to the edge of the small cliff that lead to the river. "Let me go!" he cried out. "We have to help her…"  
  
"We can't" Dita almost wailed. They could hear the sounds of energy blasts now coming from behind them, as well as the angry growls of the creatures. "We're doing this for you Uchuujin-san, it'd all be useless if you died on us here! You can't die on Dita!"  
  
Suddenly however, Dita stopped, and a small cry escaped her throat. Hibiki turned to see the way was blocked by another of the beasts, this one even larger than the rest, with what almost seemed like painted designs across its body. It growled something and then began to slowly advance towards them.  
  
"Dita's weapons all used up," the red head said, almost sadly. Then she smiled, though her eyes were filled with tears. "Don't worry though, Dita will make sure Uchuujin-san gets away!"  
  
With a burst of desperation fueled strength, she lifted Hibiki completely on to her shoulder and sprinted to her left. The beast seemed to be taken by surprise at first, but then it followed, gaining on them quickly. They were almost to the edge when the beast caught up with them, its claws latching on to Dita's foot and causing her to lose her grip on Hibiki. The boy tumbled free – straight over the edge of the cliff and into the river below.  
  
"Uchuujin-san!" was the last that Hibiki heard before the waters engulfed him.  
  
==[End of Chapter 2]==  
  
Author's Note:  
  
Well, that didn't take much time to make. Looks like this is going to be one of the stores that just seem to flow by themselves… Good news for me and for you! ^_^ I hope you liked this chapter – originally this chapter and the first one were a single chapter, but I thought it would be more effective if I broke it up. I hope I was able to keep the action/interaction balance intact, though I've always favored lots of character interaction spiced up by brief, furious action sequences. Character-wise I'm still feeling my way around – I have a firm grasp of Meia and Hibiki but the others, like Paiway, require a bit more attention. I'm trying to get everyone into the act, though of course not everyone can be in the spotlight.  
  
A few odds and ends:  
  
On Peroxy Compounds: Im stating for the record that I don't really know chemistry that well, but I needed to have something explosive in the mud to actually strand the Nirvana indefinitely, and my little research showed me that this might be a candidate. If using PC's this way contradicts with laws of nature, I heartily apologize ;p  
  
Maturity Level: Yes, Meia is smiling a bit in this fic, and Hibiki is actually being considerate ^_^ While they aren't quite as developed and mature as they will be after the second stage, this fic does take place after the first stage so some changes are needed as a result of all their experiences up to this point. Bart still has his hair though :)  
  
Meia's Green Thumb: More on this later, but those of you who know Meia's past know why she's acting like this…  
  
That's more or less it for now. C and C is always welcome… Next chapter? Well, the plot thickens as they say. I'm trying to construct this so its not just a filler 'episode' but can actually be integrated into the plot, and hints of these first become obvious in the next chapter, which also includes: a depressed Hibiki, a 'reckless plan' ™ and Duero actually getting involved in a fight scene ^_^  
  
And now for your enjoyment… Vandread:MAROONED's first OMAKE:  
  
== Vandread: SURVIVOR ==  
  
(The crew is gathered a good distance beyond the mud-sunk Nirvana, gathered in a circle around a bonfire, each holding a stick with a candle on top.)  
  
Boss: Alright, since none of us has ever been stranded on an alien planet before –  
  
BC: Marooned.  
  
Boss: Eng?  
  
BC: We're 'marooned' on the planet. That's the title of this fic.  
  
Boss: (head grows to thrice the size of her body) I haven't died yet BC, so until then I'm in command you got that? If I say we're stranded we're bloody well STRANDED ok?"  
  
BC: (shivers) Scary…  
  
Boss: In any case, we found this old instructional video in the 'colony ship' part of the Nirvana, and it instructs us on the proper procedure on how to survive in hostile territory.  
  
Meia: (puzzled) I really don't understand what survival has to do with backstabing the other crew members in front of Pai's video camera though…  
  
Boss: Well, neither do I, but it'd be best to follow the video to the letter wouldn't it?  
  
Meia: (thinks) No I don't believe so Okashira.  
  
Boss: (head grows to thrice the size of her body) Look this isn't the Manga ok? So I'm still in charge!  
  
Meia: (shivers) Scary…  
  
Gascogne: So I'm assuming this little gathering today has something to do with survival as well?  
  
Boss: Yes, we gather here today in a 'tribal council' to ensure the good of the 'tribe' by voting out the 'weakest link'…  
  
Parfet: (To Duero) I think she's getting things mixed up…  
  
Duero: Interesting… Very interesting…  
  
Parfet: ?  
  
Barnette: (licking her lips) Survival of the fittest eh? I like it…  
  
Meia: Oh, that's easy – I say Hibiki goes.  
  
Hibiki: What?!?  
  
Dita: You can't do that Uchuujin-san! He's the star of the show!  
  
Jura: (pouting) I thought I was the star of the show…  
  
Meia: (To Hibiki) Listen, you're useful in a mech, but on a planet? You're too small and weak Hibiki, you'd be liability to the tribe…  
  
Hibiki: (eyes narrowed) This is because I touched your breast in this chapter right?  
  
Meia: (in a huff) Poked. You poked them.  
  
Boss: Let's set some guidelines here – no voting off people for silly personal reasons. Also, no voting off popular people who will increase the ratings of the show.  
  
Meia: Oh… okay. I'm safe then. (smug smile)  
  
Hibiki: (shrugs) Well, the answer is easy then – we vote off Bart.  
  
Bart: Wha – Hibiki! We're both from the same pre-merge tribe!  
  
Hibiki: Well all the Mejer-tribe people are eye candy, so we can't vote them off. Among the Taraku Tribe, Duero's too 'enigmatic' and I'm the star of the show while you… You're just comic relief.  
  
Bart: Bu-but! I have character development! In Episode Three I –  
  
Gascogne: That's in the Second Stage Bart. This fic comes BEFORE the Second Stage. If you'll notice, you still have hair, so you're the 'uncool' version…  
  
Bart: (clutches his blond locks) Oh damn…  
  
(The vote is unanimous and Bart is cast out, his flame doused before he leaves the tribal area – never to return.)  
  
Paiway's Frogs: OWE-OWEOWE-OWE – kero! 


	3. Shackled

Ender presents…  
  
==[A Vandread Fanfiction Series]==  
  
They had been travelling for only a few hours, but for Meia it had seemed like a lifetime.  
  
Their captors had quickly proven themselves to be more than mere animals. If that had not been made obvious by the cunning tactics they had used to overwhelm the better armed, better trained pirates of the Nirvana, it immediately became apparent when they were stripped of anything that their enemies had witnessed could be used as a weapon. While Barnette had raised quite a ruckus at having her precious guns so casually tossed aside, what Meia had found to be more distressing was the destruction of their communications equipment – without those they would not only be unable to contact the Nirvana, but the others would be hard pressed to pinpoint their location. Even then however, the Dread Leader found some relief in the idea that the creatures had some modicum of intelligence - that meant that there was some purpose in their capture beyond territoriality or satisfying hunger. That at least meant that they were not to be killed and devoured right then and there. This gave Meia and the crew some much needed time – time they would need to plan an escape, or await a rescue, but both options had their own share of problems…  
  
After they had been stripped of their weapons, each of the women had their limbs tied together with lengths of sturdy vine, after which each was slung over the shoulder of a separate creature. The beasts preferred means of travel seemed to be leaping amongst the tree tops at breakneck speeds, but thankfully, those that had been assigned to the prisoners had so far stuck to running along the ground. Still, it was rough going, and hardly comfortable for the women, especially since many of them – Meia included – had been wounded during the fight. Needless to say, their mode of transport made planning and communication almost an impossibility. The blue haired girl did not know whether or not it was coincidence or part of some master plan, but from her position at the back of one of the beasts, she had been unable to even make eye contact with any but a few of the other members of the scout team.  
  
One of the those she had seen had been Dita. Meia had felt a sharp pain in her chest when she had seen the red – headed girl in the grasp of their captors. She had been hoping that she had been able to divert the animals long enough for Hibiki and Dita to flee, but obviously Meia had not been good enough – and it seemed as if Hibiki would pay the price. When she had seen Dita, the girl had been in tears, shouting, almost raving to be released, to be allowed to go rescue Uchuujin-san, to keep him from drowning in the river. Meia had been unable to talk to her before their respective captors had bounded apart, but the Dread Leader had heard enough to surmise that the man had somehow fallen out of Dita's grasp and had tumbled into the river. That piece of information left Meia with little hope that anyone would be left to report to the Nirvana on the nature of their foes. With all the members of the advanced party dead or captured, Hibiki and Dita had been their only chance for swift contact with the Nirvana, but even if Hibiki survived the drop, Meia didn't know if his wounded body had the strength to make it down the river alive… And without information, the 'rescuers' would be as unprepared for the beasts as they themselves had been.  
  
_Is that the only reason you're worried about him?_ asked a small voice in the back of her mind. _Because it decreases the chance of rescue? How cold can you get, Meia Gisborn?_  
  
The blue haired girl viscously thrust those thoughts aside. There would be time for worry and guilt later – in the meantime she _had_ to be cool and objective, otherwise they were all dead. This was not to say that Meia had no confidence in the abilities of her fellow captives – far from it. It was entirely possible that the Sub – Commander or Barnette or any one of the others would be able to put together a workable plan for escape. But Meia had never allowed herself to get used to the idea of depending on others – if she herself couldn't come up with a way to escape, then she wouldn't delude herself into hoping that someone else would do the job for her. And while she had yet to come across an idea that would lead to their freedom, she had realized that there was one thing she _could_ do to make things a bit easier for the rescue team…  
  
As her thoughts drifted, Meia realized that the flow of blood from the deep gash at her side had slowed to a trickle. Immediately the Dread Leader began to apply as much pressure as she could to the wound, a difficult task while trussed up in the rope-like vines, but eventually she was able to coax more of the crimson ichor to flow from the wound in her side. Her blood left reddish stains on the forest floor as they passed, not very noticeable in some places, more concentrated when her captor stopped to rest. It was a tactic she had used before, if only sparingly, and if Gascogne kept her head about her, it would make tracking them down much easier for their rescuers.  
  
Meia hissed as a wave of dizziness engulfed her as the creature took an especially high leap. It looked like the beast was beginning to hurry. Her body's exertions – not to mention the blood loss – left her feeling weak and drained, but it was the only way she could think of to help. Dita, Barnette, BC and the others… They were not just crew mates to her. As Meia had painfully come to realize during their trip, the crew of the Nirvana were her friends… They were her family. She would keep them safe.  
  
Even if it killed her.  
  
==[VANDREAD]==  
  
Vandread: MAROONED  
  
Chapter Three: Shackled  
  
Disclaimer: While I own this fic, Gonzo owns Vandread. And here's to the hope that they make use of that ownership for a long time to come…  
  
Timeline: This series takes place in-between the ending of the First Stage and the start of the Second Stage. Think of it as Stage 1.5 perhaps ^_^  
  
==[VANDREAD]==  
  
The doctor raised his head expectantly as soon as the monitor blinked to life, revealing a worried looking Parfet.  
  
"Did you find him?" Duero asked the Chief Engineer.  
  
She nodded. "I called as soon as I could – have a look."  
  
With that she stepped back and allowed the view to zoom forward until it was focused on a small, bandaged figure sitting in front of a Bangatta, tapping furiously into a fidgeting Piyoro-kun.  
  
"He just rushed in," The pig tailed girl continued, "wouldn't listen to me or anybody else when we tried to get him to go back to the clinic – and since I didn't want to risk using force I decided to call you instead." The camera zoomed out and Parfet came into view once more. "What's wrong with him doctor?" she asked in an anxious voice. "What's wrong with Hibiki?"  
  
Duero could think of several dozen things off hand. If Gasco and her team had not taken the river route on her way towards the last recorded location of the advance party, then Duero doubted they would have found Hibiki alive. The boy had suffered so many bruises and lacerations that it was a miracle he was alive, much less walking around. His ribs were cracked in at least three places, his left arm fractured, and he had several nasty cuts down his back. While Duero had counted it as a positive sign when the boy had regained consciousness shortly after he had been brought to the infirmary, Hibiki had been extremely agitated from the moment he opened his eyes. The boy had described what happened tersely, saying only that they had been ambushed by a pack of animals, immensely strong and fast who had managed to decimate most of the team. When asked what had happened to the others, the boy could only shake his head, a look of pain and guilt on his face. Soon after, Hibiki had grown increasingly restless, and Duero had left to acquire a sedative – only to find that his patient had fled as soon as the doctor had left the room. It was probably that thoughtless action – and not Hibiki's physical condition – that had moved Parfet to ask her question.  
  
"He's afraid," Duero said, in answer to Parfet's question.  
  
"Hmmm? Are you serious?" the Engineer paused. "He looks more angry than scared to me…"  
  
"Fear isn't exactly a trait that a man would willingly reveal," Duero replied. "Whatever it was that attacked the scouting team was obviously more than human – and it managed to beat him so thoroughly that he feels he can't beat it without the help of the Bangatta."  
  
"But we can't use the Bangatta!" Parfet protested. "We'd have to dig through hundreds of meters of mud!"  
  
Duero allowed himself a small smile. "He's never allowed the 'impossible' to stop him before…"  
  
The Engineer crossed her arms. "This is different. I'm not saying that there's no way out of this mess, but whatever that way is, it won't involve the Vanguards or the Dreads."  
  
"I'm sure he knows that as well as you or I – and that's what's causing the fear. The fear that there is nothing he can do to save the others."  
  
Parfet paused, then turned back to the small form of Hibiki. "You can tell all this just from looking at him?"  
  
Again, Duero allowed himself a small smile. "I know Hibiki, and I know the culture that produced him. There is little a man fears more than being helpless in the face of an enemy…"  
  
Just then, there was the sound of a doorway opening in the Engine room, and soon Jura walked into the view of the monitor.  
  
"Oh good, you found him," the blond stated. "Jura was getting tired of looking. If he's well enough to go running around the halls then the Boss wants to see him – the strategy meeting is about to start."  
  
Parfet shook her head. "He won't budge – I've been trying , believe me."  
  
Jura looked towards the boy, then tossed her long blonde mane. "Hmph. Obviously Parfet lacks Jura's charms. I'll take care of that male."  
  
With that the girl walked purposefully towards the Bangatta, high heeled shoes making clicking noises on the parasteel floor.  
  
The Chief Engineer blinked, then turned back to Duero. "Somehow, I don't think that was a good idea…"  
  
The long haired male nodded. "Agreed – I doubt her 'charms' will be very effective." Then he paused. "But I do know _someone_ he will listen to," he continued as he punched another number into the computer…  
  
==[VANDREAD]==  
  
"I'm telling you its impossible *pyoro*!"  
  
Hibiki wasn't listening – that particular protest from the Navi-bot had been uttered so often in the space of the last few minutes that it had been relegated to background noise. Hibiki spat out a curse then punched in a set of new calculations.  
  
"How about if we - " he began, but Pyro-kun cut him off in mid sentence.  
  
"I'm telling you it's impossible *pyoro*!" the robot repeated. "There's no way that we can get the Bangatta to the surface without igniting the peroxy compounds in he mud *pyoro*!"  
  
"Don't tell me its impossible!" Hibiki cried out, grabbing the robot with his one good hand and shaking it ferociously. "You've told me that before and you were wrong! Now make it wor – yow!" he cried out, as Pyoro let an electric current course through the boys body. Breaking free the navi-robot scampered away from Hibiki.  
  
"We can't waste time on this *pyoro*," the robot stated. "We have to find a way to rescue the others without the Bangatta *pyoro*!"  
  
"There is no other choice!" the boy shouted, before he noticed that Pyoro was scampering away from him. "Get back here you tin-plated onion!" Hibiki cried out as he stood up to give chase – before being confronted with a pair of familiar female protrusions. He raised his eyes until they locked with Jura's green orbs.  
  
"What do you want?" he hissed, aware of the pain his broken ribs were causing him every second that he remained standing. "Get out of my way!"  
  
For a moment he thought he saw a look of concern pass the blonde's beautiful features, but it was gone as soon as he saw it, replaced by her usual haughty smile. She gave a disdainful sniff and tilted her head towards him. "Jura doesn't like losing – nor does she like feeling worried."  
  
Hibiki furrowed his brow. What was she getting at? "Why are you telling this to _me_?"  
  
"I thought you might be feeling the same way," she explained. She waved her hands towards the Bangatta. "Fixating on impossible schemes is not going to solve anyone's problems. The strategy meeting is about to start – we can think of what to do there. Come along," she finished, turning to go without waiting to see if he would follow.  
  
"You don't get it – We need my partner!" Hibiki shouted, his feet rooted in place. He closed his eyes as images of the battle washed over him… The ease with which the creatures moved, the murderous power behind their blows. It had reminded him painfully of his beating at the hands of Rabat, except it was even more humiliating. He had thought he would be ready for a physical confrontation – he had been training with Meia ever since that day, and he had thought he was improving. And yet this time, he had done even worse than before – he couldn't hurt them, couldn't even touch them, those… creatures…"You don't know what we're facing…"  
  
"Eh?" Jura stopped, then turned to him with a puzzled look. "Of course we don't know what we're facing – that's why we need you down at the meeting, to tell us in detail."  
  
Hibiki growled his frustration. "Are you even listening to what I'm saying? We need the Bangatta! We can't win without it!"  
  
"Oh come on," Jura hissed. "You can't be this stupid. You _know_ that we can't move the Vanguards or Dreads out of the hangar!"  
  
"If we can't do that then we can't win either! And that means that the others are as good as dead – if they aren't dead already!"  
  
A tense silence descended between the two at the sound of Hibiki's words, neither being able to meet the others eye. As such neither of them saw the fear etched on the others face – the fear and the guilt. It was almost as if neither of them had truly considered the possibility of the others already being dead, and that Hibiki's ill chosen words had brought that chance closer to reality. Along with this came the nagging thought that, if their fears were true, each was in some way responsible.  
  
The girl was the first to break the heavy silence. "You…" she began, in a quiet voice. "You are not the Hibiki that Jura knows. The Hibiki I know would never say something like that. You sound like you're one of the people from Anpatos – the ones who just give up…"  
  
Hibiki made no attempt to reply, his eyes turned determinedly away from the girl, until he heard another voice speak to her.  
  
"That's enough Jura," Gascogne said, as she approached the pilot from behind, and1 placed a gentle arm on her shoulder. "I'll take it from here… You should head to the briefing room. The meeting is about to begin."  
  
Jura stared helplessly at Gascogne for an instant, then glared at Hibiki, an intense look in her eyes. "Jura doesn't fight losing battles… We'll win this with or without you," she stated, before turning on her heels and leaving the engine room, leaving Hibiki alone with Gascogne.  
  
After an awkward moment or two of silence, Hibiki spoke. "Are you going to try to give me a pep talk too?" he asked tartly.  
  
Gascogne made no reply – at least not verbally. In response to his question though, she took an intimidating looking sledge hammer from one of the tool racks that the mechanics used. Without a glance towards Hibiki she moved towards the Bangatta. The boy's brow creased, mystified as to what she thought she was doing – mystified that is, until she stopped right in front of his 'partner' and raised the hammer high.  
  
"Wha – No!" he shouted, but at that point it was too late. With a loud cry, the tall woman brought the hammer down hard on the right elbow of his mech, chipping off a sharp shard of metal and sending it hurtling to the ground near Hibiki's feet. Stunned, the boy rushed forward and grabbed the hammer away from Gascogne. The Register Officer offered no resistance, and merely stood with a small smile on her face as Hibiki rounded on her furiously.  
  
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"  
  
Gasco looked at him with wide eyes, her obviously feigned innocence infuriating Hibiki all the more. "Well, I figured that since you're of no use to anyone until you admit the impossibility of this irrational desire to use your Vanguard, I might be able to convince you if I disassembled it in front of your eyes."  
  
"You're insane!" He screamed, after a few seconds of spluttering incoherently.  
  
"No more than you are," she retorted evenly. "Using the Vanguard for a rescue operation is impossible and you know it."  
  
"But you - " he began, but she cut him off with an upraised palm.  
  
"It's impossible," she repeated, with an air of finality. "Anyone with two brain cells could have figured that out, and I'm sure you have at least three, so there's no use pretending that you don't believe it."  
  
Faced with her calm authority, Hibiki found that he was at a loss for words. She was right – he had known it to be impossible, almost from the beginning. But without that impossible hope, he had no choice but to face the alternative. And that alternative was something that was too hard for him to contemplate… The strength seemed to flow out of his body at that point and he sat down heavily on the floor.  
  
"Then we can't win," he stated flatly. "There's nothing that I – that we can do about it."  
  
Gasco sighed. "You're fond of jumping to conclusions aren't you? There's not much of a connection between our capability to use the machines and our ability to rescue the others. Whatever it was that attacked you and the others Hibiki, they were only animals…"  
  
Hibiki shook his head. "They were more than that – I could tell. They weren't merely strong – they were smart, cunning…"  
  
"Do you think that all that separates us from animals is our intelligence?" the tall woman interrupted. "On Mejerr, we were taught that what separates women from other forms of life was that we alone could plan ahead, could adapt to changing situations – that we alone had the power to make our own future." She gave the dejected boy before her a penetrating look. "I'm sure that holds for men as well. But if you're going to just give up right now, then it doesn't matter if you're smarter than they are – you'd be nothing more than an animal as well."  
  
"That's so easy for you to say!" Hibiki lashed out, rising to his feet. "You weren't there, you don't know how it felt – I was helpless before them. I couldn't – couldn't stop them or hurt them or… I couldn't do anything! I might as well not have been there! You can want and hope to change the future, but unless you have the power to do so, then your will isn't worth anything!"  
  
Gascogne remained silent as Hibiki ranted, the barest expression of sympathy showing on her face. When she spoke however, her words were harsh and cutting. "And where do you expect to find that power? In something else? In a machine? I thought more highly of you than that," she said. She waved her hand disdainfully towards the Bangatta before them. "You're too dependent on this thing. Even if you call it your 'partner', its really just a chunk of metal. We've been battling the Earth forces for quite a while now, and I'll tell you this: If the power with which we've overcome them in the past lay solely in these machines, we'd all be long dead."  
  
Hibiki gave no answer, refusing to look into the woman's eyes. Finally the Register Officer shook her head in disgust and turned to walk away. But before she started moving, she left him a parting shot. "This journey won't last forever you know… I pity what will happen to you when we return home, and you face problems that can't be solved by an energy blast or a sharp sword. You say you want to save them, and yet you sit around there waiting for something else to do your work for you. That was the last thing I expected from someone who once told us all to 'walk the walk'…"  
  
With those words, she began to walk away from the boy. A short time later, Hibiki heard the doors swish open, then close again, and he realized he was alone again – alone with his thoughts, his fears and his guilt. He hated being like this – Gascogne was right, he was a pitiful sight. He'd though those days had come to an end when he'd unwittingly acquired the Bangatta, when he'd discovered that he _could_ make a difference, that for the first time in his life, it mattered that he was there. The feeling of power had been intoxicating at the start, and in hindsight he realized that he had been so drunk with the feeling that he had been rather obnoxious about it. Come to think of it, it was Gasco-san who had set him straight then as well, showing him that it was not him alone who won their victories, but all of them working together.  
  
It was ironic that this time, she had come to convince him that he could do so much when he thought he could do nothing. Then again, it made a certain amount of sense – 'working together' meant he had to do his part as well – especially when so many of the others couldn't do their share. He thought of Dita and Meia, of BC, Barnette and the others who he barely knew, but who had all worked so hard to make sure they survived until this point. He had to do his part – to make sure that all their efforts had not been in vain.  
  
The question was – how?  
  
At that moment he noticed something shiny on the ground by his foot. It was the piece of armor that Gasco had chipped off when she had hammered his Bangatta. Thinking to take it as a reminder of their little talk, he reached down to pick it up – and let out a yell as he came back with a bloody hand. The shard had scratched him even before he had begun to apply pressure on it – the edge was that sharp. If only he'd had something like that when…  
  
Hibiki blinked, then a smile began to form on his face. Maybe, just maybe, the machines would be of some help after all…  
  
==[VANDREAD]==  
  
The meeting was already underway by the time Gascogne arrived at the conference room, but all discussion stopped as she entered, the fact that she had come alone not being lost on anyone.  
  
"No luck?" Magno asked, as the tall woman took her seat at the table.  
  
"Oh I don't know," the Register Officer said, her 'toothpick' firmly gripped in her mouth. "He's not the type to brood for very long… He'll come around soon, just give him time."  
  
"We don't have time!" Jura suddenly burst out. "Barnette and the others are in danger! We have to leave as soon as possible – who knows what's being done to them! Every second we waste here - "  
  
"Is a second that we use to prepare ourselves so that we don't end up merely giving them more captives," the Boss finished for her. She gave the blond a sympathetic look. "I know you're worried about them, and that you feel guilty for not having gone with them, but you wouldn't have made much difference." Jura turned away in response, her eyes moistening. "In any case, nothing can happen without a plan, and that's why I've gathered all of us here." She looked around at the others – Jura, Gascogne and Duero. Parfet had said she was on her way, but was just finishing a final check on the condition of the Pexis.  
  
"How can we make a plan if we don't know anything about the enemy?" Jura asked, "Hibiki is the only one who encountered them, and its not like he's being very helpful…"  
  
"Actually, he's already told us about as much as he could," Magno replied. "He described the attackers as basically hairy beasts shaped like men, with skin that was almost like armor, and teeth that seemed closer to fangs than anything else. What he didn't tell us can be deduced from his wounds, which is why I asked the doctor to join us today," she said, nodding towards where Duero was seated. It felt a bit odd to have a man present during a planning session, but more and more the women were beginning to feel a growing bond with their male counterparts – not just as shipmates but as friends.  
  
Duero calmly nodded and began his exposition. "Hibiki suffered quite a few injuries, but these can basically be divided into two broad categories – those that resulted from impact with a blunt object, say a fist or the ground, and lacerations that are a result of being slashed by a sharp object. We can tell from the latter type that the beasts possessed claws of around two inches in length, and the wounds show that there was a considerable amount of force behind these blows as well. Whatever these creatures are, they are powerful – exceeding the theoretical limits of men or women, at least as far as I know."  
  
Gascogne sighed. "And that's probably not the worst of it. From what Hibiki told me these things are smart as well."  
  
"It doesn't matter how strong or smart they are – they're not going to be having Jura's Barnette for dinner!" The blonde Dread Pilot shook her head. "Jura doesn't see what the problem is… We have an entire armory of energy weapons – we just arm ourselves, get out there and blast anything that gets in our way. It's simple!"  
  
Magno shook her head. Maybe Jura was more like Barnette than she had thought – that certainly sounded like something the trigger happy Dread pilot would have said. However before she could rein in Jura's blood thirsty thoughts, somebody else beat her to the punch.  
  
"That won't work," Hibiki said as he and Parfet entered the room, carrying several wrapped bundles in their hands. "For one thing those lasers are hard to use in close range – and at the speed with which those monsters move, most of the fighting is going to take place face to hairy face. Secondly, energy weapons run out of power all too quickly – and if that first attack was any indication, we'd run out of ammo before we had even killed half of the beasts."  
  
"Glad you chose to join us," Gasco said, her voice non-chalant, but Magno could see the hint of pride in the younger woman's eyes.  
  
"You're late," was all Magno allowed herself to say, though she too was proud of the boy. Another hurdle overcome on his way to adulthood she thought to herself. "I take it you have a better suggestion?"  
  
Hibiki smiled. "As a matter of fact…" he gestured to Parfet and the two of them laid their bundles on the table, unwrapping them to reveal what appeared to be a plastic bowl and a set of primitive swords and spears, cobbled together for the most part from various scraps of metal attached to a handle of some sort, often times merely a pole made of plaster or wood.  
  
"This is your great idea?" Jura asked, a look of distaste on her face.  
  
"We need to have close combat weapons," Hibiki explained. "For one thing, they don't require reloading, and they'll be more effective than lasers when push comes to shove. Besides, from the little I remember, unless the beasts got hit in the head, they hardly seemed to feel the beams."  
  
"Hmm…" Duero mused. "I've seen a similar thing occur in some of the more barbaric arena games on Taraku. If the area of effect is too small relative to the mass of the target, its possible to shrug off an energy blast, especially when in a state of rage. The intense heat instantly cauterizes the wound so the bleeding is non-existent and it is possible for the nerve endings to be charred, dulling the pain to an extent."  
  
"Jura still doesn't see how these things will do any better," Jura said. "I mean, they don't look like they can be used more than a couple of times before falling apart."  
  
This time it was Parfet who answered. "Well, we didn't have time to weld the materials together yet, but I can assure you they can be effective. Watch this," she said, nodding towards Hibiki.  
  
At that signal the boy took the plastic bowl from the table with his one good arm. It was one of the bowls that they commonly used for eating – made out of reinforced plastic, a fairly hard material which made it easier to store foods at varying temperatures. Without another word, Parfet picked up a random weapon from the pile – a contraption roughly shaped like an axe – and brought its 'head' down almost gently on the bowl. It passed through it like a hot knife through butter, with seemingly no resistance, and even less effort on Parfet's part.  
  
"And I'm not even all that strong either," Parfet said happily while the others gaped.  
  
"Ok… I think an explanation would be nice right about now," Gascogne said, her eyes wide.  
  
"It's quite simple really…" the Chief Engineer explained, adjusting her thick, circular glasses. "We scavenged these parts from the junkpile – you know, the one where we store parts damaged during battles, or the scraps we remove during repairs. For the most part, the pieces there were made using materials built to withstand both the harshness of space and attacks from high powered energy weapons such as those found on the Dreads. As such it would be difficult to find a tougher material – and it was surprisingly easy to find pieces that were the right shape or carried the right edge to be used as weapons. All that was left to be done was to attach them to something that one could hold without cutting herself and voila," Parfet grinned. "Instant implement of death."  
  
"Interesting," Duero said, experimentally hefting one of the improvised weapons in his hand. "These would certainly be useful to have during hand to hand combat…" The doctor turned his calm gaze towards Hibiki. "But will it be enough? If your initial encounter was any indication, the beasts will probably outnumber us greatly – will these weapons be enough to turn the tide?"  
  
Hibiki's face took on a thoughtful look. "I've been giving that some thought as well… We'd need some sort of diversion, something that would draw them away… Or maybe frighten them away. That was how the Sub – Commander had us lure out some of the larger animals during the hunt – by making so much noise that it would run right into our trap. We've got to find a way to reduce the number of animals in the area before we attempt the rescue – once we do that, these weapons should help us take care of the rest."  
  
"Are you sure about that?" Jura asked. "It takes a little more skill to wield a sword than shoot a gun – Jura should know. It took me years of practice to become the excellent swordsman I am now – and we don't have the luxury of time. Without training, the weapons not make all that big a difference…"  
  
"Oh I dunno," Gascogne said. "You needed your training Jura because you were either fighting a n opponent who had a sword herself, or worse, a distance weapon – advantages which the beasts won't have. If these weapons that Hibiki and Parfet have cooked up are as sharp as they seem to be, then all that would really be required of the rescue team would be the ability to swing – sort of like chopping wood."  
  
"So how do we frighten the creatures away in the first place?" Magno asked, breaking into the discussion.  
  
"Well, noise seemed to work pretty well, at least for the smaller beasts," Hibiki said. He turned to Parfet. "Do we have any ships at all that can be launched _without_ blasting the Nirvana into pieces?"  
  
The engineer shared a look with Gascogne. "Well," the pigtailed girl replied. "the repair drones are kept in a separate hanger than the Dreads or the Vanguards - none of them sustained any major damage from the attack and I think at least some of them lie above the mud line. It should be possible for us to use those…"  
  
"Except that those things can't travel all that far from the ship," Gascogne added. "They're made for extra-atmospheric repairs, not for extended voyages, and thus they don't really carry all that much fuel, nor are they speedy, in any sense of the word. Likewise, they weren't made to hold more than one person at a time, so it would be impractical to use them as transports if that's what you're thinking…"  
  
Hibiki shook his head. "I was thinking more along the lines of a distraction," the boy grinned. "Heh, I doubt they've had much exposure to repair drones here on this little mudball…"  
  
"I could probably cobble together some extension tanks," Parfet mused. "Only for around two or three of the drones mind you, but still…"  
  
The discussion continued in this vein for several minutes, with the men and women of the Nirvana honing Hibiki's innovative but vague plan into something workable, each one citing possible difficulties or proposing possible solutions. Despite the urgency of their situation, Magno found herself smiling at the sight of her crew, her family, working together. The Boss had full confidence in her crews ability to bounce back from failure and defeat – but it was always uplifting to see it actually happening before her, to see her faith concretized and her expectations fulfilled. This was the crew that had repulsed the Earth forces for so long, against almost insurmountable odds – full of intensity, teamwork, and an indomitable spirit. Wherever BC and the others were, Magno hoped those same characteristics burned hot within them… Now if only they could figure out how to track them down…  
  
The answer to that question came sooner than she expected, when her monitor blinked open to reveal the face of the leader of the initial search party that they had sent out, a petite red head named Sera. The image was blurred and occasionally interrupted by static, but enough of the girls words got through that Magno was able to understand her.  
  
"Bo -*hiss* This is *hiss* -ra reporting fro – *hiss* site…"  
  
"You've reached the Nirvana Sera," Magno responded, as the others crowded in behind her in order to see the flickering screen. "Are you girls alright?"  
  
"*hiss* are fi- *hiss* oss…" the girl replied, in between breaks of static.  
  
Parfet made an inquisitive noise, and the Boss nodded at her to go ahead. "Sera, this is Parfet,." The pig tailed Engineer began, "can you hear us? You're breaking up over here… Is there anything wrong with the equipment?"  
  
The red headed girl shook her head. "I can bar- *hiss* make you ou - *hiss* *hiss*– equipment checks out, must *hiss* something in the surroundings ca- *hiss* -terference."  
  
"Did she just say that there was interference from somewhere?" Hibiki asked Parfet, but it was Gascogne who answered.  
  
"Some planets have certain natural minerals in the ground or particles in the air that interfere with certain types of frequencies – those were the ones that were useful as pirate hideouts," she said with a grin. "This place might be one of them."  
  
"But when we were there we had no problems getting in touch with the Nirvana," Hibiki protested. "I don't think those minerals just move around by themselves…"  
  
"True," Gasco answered. "That is strange…" but before they could pursue that line of questioning further, their attention was drawn back to the monitor, where Sera was showing them the site of the ambush. It was evident from the damage to the surrounding foliage that a fierce struggle had taken place – but although there was plenty of broken equipment lying around, there was no sign of any bodies, living or dead.  
  
"Is there no sign of the advance party?" the Boss asked, her hands gripping the arm rests tightly. "Of anyone?"  
  
"Negat-*hiss*" the scout replied. "Not a one. *hiss* response from comm *hiss* either, tracking beacons dis *hiss*."  
  
Magno pursed her lips. "There's something wrong with this picture…" she whispered, her brow furrowing, "I just can't figure out what…"  
  
"The machines," Duero said simply.  
  
"Come again Doctor?"  
  
"The machines," he repeated, his hand on his chin as he looked intently at the screen. "Why wreck the machines?"  
  
The others looked at each other. "Well," Hibiki answered. "They did see some of them being used as weapons – it wouldn't take much of a stretch for them to want to destroy the things. Besides, like I told you – these things are smart…"  
  
"Maybe even smarter," Duero said, before turning to the monitor. "I hope you can understand me, but I need you to tell me if there's any piece of equipment left untouched at the site…"  
  
The man had to repeat his question a few times before Sera understood it completely, but once she did she began to shake her head. "*hiss* -ot a one," she said. "Eve- *hiss* been totaled…"  
  
"That clinches it," Duero said. "These creatures obviously know at least what a machine looks like – the destruction was purposeful and planned out."  
  
"That could explain why the tracking beacons in their comm links haven't been working," Parfet said. "The beasts must have taken them away somehow…"  
  
"But how could they?" Jura asked in exasperation. "They're just animals right? The scanner didn't detect any technological structures on the planet at all!"  
  
"That doesn't mean that there aren't any," Duero said under his breath, before raising his voice. "Whatever the case, its clear we're not merely dealing with 'intelligent animals' here… We'd best be cautious."  
  
At that point Sera called their attention back to the screen. They could see the petite girl listening to a report from one of her squad members, who showed her a reading from an instrument she carried at her belt. Sera sighed, then nodded, before turning to the others with a grim expression on her face.  
  
"We *hiss* -ve found a way *hiss* track them down…" the red head said.  
  
"Did you just say you can track them down?" Jura asked. "Then what are you waiting for? Hurry up and do it so Jura can rescue them!"  
  
"If she discovered how to find them, why doesn't she look so thrilled?" Hibiki whispered to Magno, but the old woman had a sinking feeling she knew why…  
  
"*hiss* -eia's blood al- *hiss* sent scouts to *hiss* -llow *hiss* north for at least a kilometer and *hiss*-tinues…"  
  
"What? What was that?" Hibiki asked. "I didn't quite catch that… Did she say there was some sort of trail?" he looked around, and the surprise on his face as he saw the expressions of the women was evident. Even Jura had become subdued. "Hey! What's wrong with you guys? Has it escaped your notice that this is _good_ news?"  
  
"Meia's blood." The Boss said.  
  
"Excuse me?" Hibiki said, a puzzled look on his face.  
  
"Meia's leaving us a trail of her blood as a means of tracking them down," Magno said angrily, her hands clenching into fists. "That stupid girl…"  
  
"What do you mean a 'trail of blood?'" Hibiki asked, his eyes widening. "That's insane! She'll be killing herself!"  
  
Magno shook her head. "She probably thinks that it would be a good trade… She's pulled this stunt once before…"  
  
"I can't believe she'd waste her strength on something so ineffective," Duero interposed. "Barring the use of an animal sensitive to the scent, it would be impossible to track her using her blood trail – especially since in this case she's bleeding into the soil, which should absorb all traces of it within a few hours."  
  
"Whether it's effective or not is hardly the point Duero!" Hibiki snarled, but Gasco held out a hand.  
  
"Let me explain this one," Gasco said to the Boss, before turning to the men. "When Meia was growing up, she was often in trouble with the authorities. She was jailed numerous times – and Mejerr has ways of ensuring that their prisoners cannot escape. One such method is by injecting a particular chemical compound into the blood of the inmate, a compound which emits a specific amount of low level radiation that can quickly be picked up on a special scanner." She turned back to the screen. "Though its been years since she was injected, traces of that compound are still present in Meia's blood, and its that residue which will lead us to them, whether or not we can actually see the traces of blood. Meia knows that they have no means of contacting us – this is her way of lighting a path."  
  
"I see," Duero said, before turning to Hibiki. "In that case, we had best put this plan of yours into motion immediately – if Meia's suffered injuries, and she loses too much blood, her chances of recovery will be slim."  
  
The boy nodded. "And it would be just like that stupid girl to keep herself bleeding until they stopped moving – regardless of what it would do to her," he cursed once under his breath, then stood up. "Let's move!"  
  
==[VANDREAD]==  
  
"How is she?" BC asked, as she crawled towards the corner where Dita had Meia cradled in her arms, while Paiway tried to bind the blue haired girls wound.  
  
The young nurse shook her head. "The bandage stopped the blood flow temporarily, but… But she's already lost a lot of blood. I don't even know how she managed to stay conscious for so long…"  
  
Dita bit her lip. "Leader…" she whispered to the unconscious Dread Leader. "You should have told us you were hurt! We would have… We could have…"  
  
From her position as lookout, Barnette gave a snort. "Would have what? Helped her? Escaped? Died trying? Get real Dita…"  
  
"But we could have done something!" the other girl insisted.  
  
"Can't you stop being so naïve, even in a situation such as this?" Barnette snapped. "There was nothing we could have done! Stop being so stupid!"  
  
"Stop it , both of you," BC ordered. "This is not the time for this. Meia aggravated her wound deliberately – and if both of you would stop for a minute and think, then you'd know she did it for a reason. Now – if you two want to help, then I suggest you both quiet down."  
  
The two pilots fell silent at those words. Dita hated it when the green haired girl got angry – she hated it when people started shouting and Barnette had quite the healthy pair of lungs. But more than that, she hated it because Barnette always got so negative, and that just wasn't right. No matter how bleak the situation, there just _had_ to be a way out… Dita couldn't believe that her friend still didn't have that faith. They had been in worse situations before – and they'd always won hadn't they? But then… Uchuujin-san had always been there to help them. The girl felt tears come to her eyes at the thought of Hibiki… She was so worried about him, but he _had_ to be alright, he had to be! For his sake, she couldn't give up!  
  
"Don't… Cry… Dita," she heard from below her, and she opened her eyes to see Meia looking up at her. "Barnette doesn't mean those things… Just her way of coping…"  
  
"Leader!" Dita shouted, and the others drew closer. "You're awake!"  
  
Barnette came closer., her harsh features softening. "Good to have you back Meia…"  
  
Meia gave her a wan nod and tried to rise, but Paiway gently pushed her back.  
  
"You can't stand yet Meia, you're weak right now from blood loss…" the young girl said. "Try not to move ok? Otherwise you might reopen the wound…"  
  
"I'll be fine…" the blue haired girl said. "And I might have to reopen it later anyway if - "  
  
"No!" Paiway said in a firm tone. "Absolutely not! You'll die if you loose any more blood Meia!"  
  
Meia was about to protest but BC cut in. "There's no need for it anymore – I think we've stopped, if only for tonight." The Sub – Commander gestured to the makeshift cage of bamboo and vine that had served as their prison since they had been herded there by their captors, roughly an hour or so ago. Dita had been one of the first to arrive, and she had seen the monster aliens fashioning it from the surroundings. They had worked fast and with skill – Dita thought that the monster aliens were much smarter than they looked. Eventually all of the members of the advanced party were brought into the cage, and while all of them were still alive, many were injured, if none quite as badly as Meia.  
  
"Where are we?" Meia asked, as she took a look around.  
  
BC shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. It seems clear though, that they have taken us captive for some purpose that requires us to be alive – for how much longer, I have no clue."  
  
"Aren't they going to eat us?" asked a scared voice from amongst the other girls.  
  
"Perhaps," BC answered. "Although why keep us alive for so long if that was their only intention?"  
  
"Maybe they want to season us first," said another voice, which prompted a fearful groan form amongst some of the other women.  
  
"That's enough of that talk!" Barnette snapped. "Who cares why they caught us? What matters is that we're not dead yet, and if they think we're just going to lie back and die then they've got another thing coming!"  
  
Just then, they heard a sound fast approaching, a rumble that they had come to realize was some sort of speech on the part of the monster aliens. "Keep it down – they're coming!" she said and the women – with the exception of Dita and Paiway who clustered around Meia - scattered, not wanting it to be too apparent that they had been communicating with each other. Without discussion, they had already decided to treat the beasts as an intelligent enemy…  
  
In moments, a doorway appeared, and four of the monster aliens stepped inside. Though Dita was able to see that each was subtly different from the other, all shared a few common characteristics. For one thing, each was over seven feet tall, and massively muscled, with sharp talons at the end of both fingers and toes. Aside from this however, and the fact that they were covered in vast quantities of hair that seemed closer to shaggy fur than anything else, the creatures proportions were very similar to the women – or more specifically, to the men. Dita squashed that thought – she knew now that men and women were the same, so it was wrong of her to think that these bad monster aliens had any relation to Uchuujin-san and the others.  
  
The four aliens surveyed the cage for a moment, their gazes passing each of the captives as if to ensure that all were present. Apparently satisfied, the beasts reached for the nearest of the women – one of the Dread Pilots – and pushed her none too gently towards the exit. Dita was about to move to help her, but she was stopped short by a firm grip on her shoulder. The red headed girl turned to see BC giving her a small shake of the head – the Sub – Commander already had Barnette in a similar grip.  
  
"We can't win if all we do is react," the silver haired woman whispered, "Watch them… And learn."  
  
With those words, she released the two younger girls, and after helping Meia to her feet, they took their place amongst the others as one by one they were herded towards the door. One all of them had been gathered in the semblance of a line, their hands were bound once again and the beasts began to walk them forward. Night had fallen on the planet, and the air was full of the cries of strange animals, all the more ominous in the near total shadow cast by the forest canopy.  
  
The beasts moved along swiftly, apparently needing no more light than that which was provided by their own red eyes or white fangs. Gradually, the forest around them began to thin, and the women soon found themselves heading up a rocky incline, the leaves above them parting as the trees came fewer and farther between, leaving them exposed to the clear night sky. To their right, the ground sloped sharply downwards, into what appeared to be a fertile valley, where the vegetation was even more dense, if possible. Looming above them from beyond the valley, maybe a good hundred or so kilometers away, was a huge, cone shaped mountain – probably a volcano if what Dita remembered from her lessons was correct. As they passed it, Dita noticed that the monster aliens all seemed to be making some sort of gesture towards the mountain, or at the very least, kept their eyes averted from it. Dita turned behind her to where BC was trying to support Meia from behind, and both of the women gave her a look of acknowledgement – they had noticed the strange actions as well.  
  
Soon, the group reached a steep rockface, fronted by numerous dead trees and scattered debris, and their captors brought them to a stop. A dozen or so of the beasts moved forwards and quickly but stealthily began to clear away the obstructions, until Dita could see the uneven mouth of a cave, one which lead deeper into the rock. One of the beasts – this one even larger than its companions – stepped forward and growled a few times into the cave mouth. A few seconds later, an answering rumble was heard from within the cave, and a group of three beasts emerged from the cavern, and engaged the large monster alien into what was apparently a conversation. To Dita, it reminded her of the hideouts she and the other pirates had across the system, especially the smaller ones they kept on planet. It was standard fare really – concealing the entrance, posting guards, exchanging passwords – everything characteristic of a pirate hideout – except these were beasts, and not women.  
  
"Yes, it seems that way" BC said, once Dita had relayed her opinion. Their guards seemed to have relaxed a bit now that they were near their 'home' and this allowed Dita to confer with her nearer companions without raising an alarm. "They obviously have some organizational structure here – with any luck they're taking us to their leader and we might have a chance to try some form of communication."  
  
"But how?" Dita asked. "Dita doesn't think they speak the same language…"  
  
"We'll just have to wait and see," Meia said. The blue haired Dread Leader was very pale, but otherwise seemed to be holding up. "What I'm wondering about now though is that if this is some sort of hideout, then what are they hiding from?"  
  
That was all they had time for before the monster aliens began moving them once more, this time into the cave. The cavern was spacious for the women, seeing as how it was large enough for the beasts, and seemed to be composed of only a single route, with no forks or branches. At first, the women found themselves depending on the painful shoves of their captors to prevent them from bumping into the rock, but once they had traveled a few minutes, a subtle blue-green light began to fill the cavern, emanating from the walls themselves. Dita tried to get a closer look as they passed – it seemed to be a kind of plant, but she couldn't really tell for sure…  
  
After what seemed like an hour of travelling, the 'corridor' abruptly opened up into a sizeable cavern, about the size of the Dread hangar. There was light in this room, but instead of coming from the walls, they came from pieces of wood suspended around the room, 'torches' which had a concentration of the moss-like plant on one end. The reason for this became clearer as they passed close to the walls. Dita heard a few gasps from those who were ahead of her in the line, but she didn't know what it was they were reacting to until she herself got a first hand look.  
  
"Paintings!" she gasped, "The walls are full of paintings!"  
  
Indeed, instead of being covered in the moss, the cavern walls were decorated with floor-to-ceiling pictures: of the beasts on the move, fighting strange creatures, even fighting amongst themselves. The quality of the paintings was scarcely more than those of a child, yet still they were recognizable. Dita wasn't able to get a good look at them as they were quickly herded through one cavern after another of the primitive artworks, but the sheer number of them overwhelmed her. There was one particular scene that she saw over and over again though, always painted to the left of the exit leading to the next cavern: in it, a group of the beasts was being massacred by what appeared to be a massive gray spider, with lines of fire stretching from its eyes. The way the spider was drawn always seemed… different from the way the other creatures Dita had seen on the walls, but she couldn't quite place it. Whatever the spider thing was, it was obviously one of the monster aliens deadliest foes… But somehow, Dita was quite certain that it would be no friend to the crew of the Nirvana either.  
  
Their journey through the caverns of art seemed to go on for hours, but at one point they entered the next cavern only to be stopped, then forced to seat themselves in the middle of the enclosure. Unlike the other caverns they had passed through, the walls of this one were mostly blank, though they could already see some scenes on one of them.  
  
"What's going on here Sub-Commander?" Dita heard Barnette asked as soon as all of them had been forced to the ground. "Why bring us all the way here? To what purpose?"  
  
BC sighed. "I'd like to say I knew, but this new twist has me more confused than ever. The only things I could make out from their paintings was the fact that whatever these things are, they have a warrior culture – but how this relates to a cavern of paintings and our capture, I have no idea. Our best bet is still to wait and see."  
  
The green haired Dread pilot hissed her displeasure. "If we wait any longer we might end up dead!"  
  
"And if we try our luck now then we'll _surely_ be dead," The older woman replied calmly. "You're always in too much of a hurry Barnette – people who rush seldom get anywhere."  
  
"But… But what are we going to do?" Dita heard Paiway ask. "How are we going to escape? There are so many of them!" The fear was evident in the young girl's voice…These past few hours could not have been easy for the nurse – Dita had been Paiway's friend almost since they met, and she knew that though the girl was brave, she had a tendency to give up when things got bad – their present predicament probably seemed hopeless to her. Dita fought against her binding and managed to place herself in a position where she could see her friends face. She knew that the Sub-commander wouldn't be able to give a good answer yet – though she was sure it was only a matter of time. Right now though, she had to find a way to keep her friend from falling apart…  
  
"Paiway," Dita said, "What do you think of these paintings?"  
  
"Huh?" the blue haired girl asked in confusion, "What does that have to do with anything Dita?"  
  
"Uhm, well…" the red head began, "I'm sure that the pictures on the walls can tell us something about the bad aliens neh? But, since Dita is stupid, I don't think I can tell what they are very well," she paused for a moment, then smiled. "You know that right Paiway? Remember, you used to get so mad when I couldn't understand the drawings in the notebook you showed me? I thought your drawing of Varoa was an apple!"  
  
Dita heard Barnette sight in exasperation at her words, but a few moments later she heard what she was waiting for – the sound of laughter, albeit weak, from Paiway. "I remember that," the younger girl answered. "And I was so proud of that picture too!"  
  
Talk amongst the women ceased as a group of beasts encircled the captives. One by one they were made to stand up while a few of the monster aliens – who somehow seemed older to Dita, and who sported a sort of headdress as ornamentation – walked around them, peering at every corner of their bodies, their clothes, their faces. Adhering to BC's unspoken command, none of them resisted, although it was obvious that some, like Barnette, felt violated by the attention. During her 'turn', however, Dita could sense no malice from the aliens. If anything, their aura seemed merely curious… and maybe a touch sad even. After they had finished examining all the women, they had them sit down again in a group while the headdress wearing aliens moved towards the wall. A hush seemed to descend upon the cavern as the group of aliens stood in front of the blank wall, while the rest of the creatures cleared a space around them, all while raptly gazing at the smaller gathering.  
  
And then, the aliens began to paint.  
  
They used tools that were similar to the 'torches' on the walls, except on a smaller scale and each with a different color. As they swiped one across the face of the wall, a swath of color would appear, glowing on its own power for a while before it lost its light, leaving the color behind. The strokes of the aliens were quick, measured, as if they were following invisible contours engraved on the wall itself. The aliens worked in concert, each filling in one color completely before moving to another, almost dancing amongst themselves as their strokes slowly coalesced into a single image. It took time, but eventually the picture became clear – and the women realized that they recognized it.  
  
"Barnette!" Dita exclaimed. "They're painting Barnette!"  
  
It wasn't a very good likeness, and the face mostly consisted of two dots and a slash, but the shape of the body marked it as a woman, and the colors made it obvious that it was the green haired Dread Pilot.  
  
"What's going on…?" Barnette wondered aloud, even as the creatures continued to work on her picture, but nobody answered. The women watched the 'painters' work, as if in a trance, unwilling to take their eyes off the unreal sight. However the work was slow and methodical, and by the time the creatures had finished only around half of the portraits, most of the women were asleep, tired from their long journey. Dita tried to stay awake, but the stress of the forced march, as well as her worry over Hibiki, simply wore her down. In the end, she tried to settle herself as comfortably as her restraints would allow, closed her eyes, and let the darkness grant her rest…  
  
She was awakened, what seemed to her a scant few seconds later, by an urgent whisper. "Dita…" she heard Paiway's voice hiss, the fear once more saturating her tone, "Dita, wake up! Wake up!"  
  
"Wha – wha…" the red head mumbled, trying confusedly to stretch her arms before remembering her restraints. With that harsh reminder of their situation, she found herself coming awake. "What's the matter Paiway? What's wrong?"  
  
"To your right – the painting! Look!"  
  
Dita turned to the wall and saw that the painting was complete. All the captives had been faithfully represented on the 'canvas' of rock, each standing straight and erect, positioned one after the other like manikins. Dita paused to gawk at her own painting for a moment before she began to scan the painting for whatever it was that caused her friend to get so upset.  
  
"Paiway, Dita doesn't see what - "  
  
And then she realized she had only seen part of what had been done the previous night. By the time she had seen the entire picture she was as agitated as the young nurse.  
  
Further to the left of their 'portraits' was a depiction of the volcano they had passed on their way to the cave. In the scene the sun was rising on the horizon, and the beasts were gathered around what appeared to Dita to be some sort of table…  
  
On top of which was painted, in all its gory detail, an image of Barnette being torn apart by a gigantic gray spider…  
  
Dita stared at the image for a long time before the sound of the Sub- Commander's voice snapped her out of it. "Wake those who are still asleep…" she commanded, "I think we know all that we need to know…"  
  
==[VANDREAD]==  
  
"And you say you saw the beasts enter the cave?"  
  
"Yes. Definitely. I kept as far away as possible but the distance was easily covered by the scope."  
  
Hibiki nodded to Sera as she finished her report, his good hand anxiously fidgeting with his makeshift weapon – a double headed spear. As he and the second rescue team had made their way from the Nirvana, he had asked Sera and her squad to move ahead, tracking Meia's blood signature and sending them detailed reports that allowed the second team to follow. Roughly four hours ago, Sera and her squad had reported that the blood trail had stopped. Hibiki and the others had feared for the worst, but Duero – who had accompanied them – reassured the team that it was highly unlikely that Meia could have died from blood loss by that point, though she would be severely weakened and in need of treatment. While Hibiki and the others were moving towards Sera's position, Hibiki had decided to send them out further, in an effort to pick up the trail. It had been a risky move, but if they lost the beasts in this forest, they would have little chance of being able to track them down in time. They had searched for hours in vain, but as Hibiki and the others had neared the rendezvous point, Sera had reported that she had been able to spy one of the beasts entering a nearby cavern. Close to the entrance had been what appeared to be an artificial construction made of vines and wood, which they took to be a sign that captives of some sort had been held – an encouraging sign, for otherwise they had no way of knowing if this band of beasts were the ones who held Dita, Meia and the others.  
  
Hibiki turned to face the other members of the 'planning committee' who had come with him for the rescue attempt. Jura, Duero and Parfet were there, along with Gascogne who had been in charge of piloting the repair drone, which they had set down a distance away from their 'camp', in order to minimize the chances of discovery.  
  
"Well," he asked them, "What do you guys think?"  
  
"You have to ask?" Jura said, shaking her long blonde hair, one hand gripping her sword. "We know where Barnette and the others are – what are we standing around here for? Jura doesn't like being out in the cold with all these bugs…"  
  
"I don't think it would be advisable for us to raid the cavern," Duero said. It was odd to see the Doctor with a weapon, but somehow, it just seemed… 'right'. He didn't look at all awkward handling the weapon he had chosen, which Hibiki would have roughly described as a jagged scythe. "We don't know how many of them are holed up in there, nor how extensive those caverns are. The cage Sera found implies that they are being kept alive for some purpose, but I don't doubt they would be harmed if we attacked. It might be suicide both for us and for them."  
  
"Not everyone works according to your logic Doctor," Jura said. "What if they were only being kept alive long enough to be brought to the cavern so they could be cooked before being eaten? Or what if the monsters use cages as decorations? Every good soldier knows enough to take advantage of any opening Doctor… Maybe you should leave the tactics to us front liners neh?"  
  
"Stop that Jura," Parfet said, causing the blond to blink in surprise at the vehemence in her tone. The Engineer had originally wanted a club for a weapon, but they had all agreed that an edged weapon would be more effective. To this end, the engineer had taken a particularly sharp piece of metal and turned it into a wide bladed dagger. "We're all front line soldiers now, and there's no reason for us not to be cautious. We won't do them any good if we get killed."  
  
"Well we should at least send someone inside to scout out the area then!" Jura said.  
  
"That might be difficult," Duero said. "These creatures we can assume have senses beyond our own, or at the very least are much more familiar with the territory. It would be risky to send someone in alone."  
  
"If you didn't want to take risks you should have stayed back at the ship!"  
  
"Jura!" Parfet shouted. "That's enough!"  
  
"Yare yare," Gascogne interrupted them, "We had a decent plan formulated back at the Nirvana – what say we stick to it?" She turned to Hibiki. "I can use the drone to make some noise around the cave entrance, and if these things are as smart as we think, they'll have sentries out there who'll hear me nice and clear. If that doesn't sent them out running, we'll send someone in to take a look. Is that a good enough compromise for everyone?"  
  
"I think so," Hibiki said, as the others silently nodded their heads, though not without an exchange of glares between Jura and Parfet.  
  
"Alright then, let's get this show on the road," Gasco said. The tall woman raised her eyes to the horizon and gave a worried glance towards what appeared to be swiftly gathering fog. "I don't want to know what other surprises this place has in store for us…"  
  
==[VANDREAD]==  
  
Barnette shot a hairy beast full in the face with her Beretta, before turning around and riddling another with rounds from her AK – 47 – or at least that was how she imagined it. Her gory fantasies were the only thing keeping her from screaming out her frustration and leaping at their foes, and damned be the consequences. A good hour or so after their rude awakening, the captive women were nearing the exit, and their plans for escape still seemed to be long shots. They had realized in their quick discussion just before departure that in truth their range of options for an escape planned were horribly limited. They had decided to wait until they approached the volcano once more, and, when the beasts were distracted by the site of their 'holy mountain', BC and Barnette would attempt to attack their captors. This would serve as a signal for them to scatter in different directions, hopefully confusing their enemies. In the event that the beasts once more tried to divide them and transport them on their shoulders, the break out would begin immediately. Separate in that way, they knew they had no chance of escape.  
  
As they neared the entrance – Barnette could tell because of the steady decrease of the 'light moss' along the walls of the cavern – the pilot began to feel the first whiffs of fog. The fog intensified the closer they got to the entrance, and the green haired girl allowed the beginnings of a smile to form on her face. Perhaps things were going their way after all…  
  
The last of the women were about to cross the threshold when Barnette heard a faint humming in the air. The sound intensified until it was a dull roar in her ears, and soon she felt a wave of air send the fog rolling against her as a large object swooped across their position, sending many of the beasts cowering to the ground. The girl shielded her eyes as best she could, but then she opened them wide as she recognized the sound of Gascogne's voice, amplified through the speakers of the repair drone.  
  
"Calvary is here ladies! They're coming from directly ahead of you move in that direction! Go!"  
  
With that the repair drone made an about face and buzzed low over them once more, its mechanical arms clacking as loud as they could, while Gascogne was screaming all sort of gibberish to heighten the noise. Sure enough, the first reaction of the beasts was to scatter, leaving the women unguarded for what seemed like the first time in ages.  
  
"Go!" BC shouted, but none of them needed the prodding, heading straight forward as fast as they could, their arms still strapped to their sides. Barnette let out a fierce cry of joy – they were going to make it!  
  
It was about that point that she heard another sound, a low, viscous humming. And this time, it wasn't coming from the repair bot.  
  
Barnette turned in time to see a massive shape slam into Gascogne's craft sending it careening towards the forest, smoke trailing behind it . The new shape paused for a moment, before two beams of red hot energy shot out from its head, charring the forest where the bot had crashed and sending the trees up in flames. Apparently unsatisfied whipped its head around, causing the fog to swirl in its wake. In that second when the mist swirled around it, Barnette focused her gaze on the intruder –  
  
And found herself gazing into the eyes of a massive, heavily armed, mechanical spider.  
  
The God of the Mountain had come to play.  
  
==[End of Chapter Three]==  
  
Author's Note:  
  
Well… That certainly took awhile. @_@ Apologies to everyone I kept waiting – I know more than a few of you mailed me to get my ass in gear with this chapter, but there were really several things I wanted/needed to do while doing this, and since I've never been much of a multi asker progress became pretty darn slow. This was also the hardest chapter to write so far, the mood being neither focused on action or interaction but more on the tension of the situation. (Eww… That rhymed ;p) But it's here and I'm satisfied with it for the most part and I hope you guys will be too. As I said, the mystery deepens with this chapter, and soon, we'll seen how the plot of MAROONED integrates with that of the series proper.  
  
Some things:  
  
Duero fight scene: Sorry, couldn't fit it in this one – wait till next chapter, and I promise I'll do it right :)  
  
Meia and Dita: Both are heroic in their own ways in this chapter… I hope everyone caught that much from their actions. Though admittedly more of a Meia fan, I've always liked Dita for who she was, and both are integral to Vandread. Now for those of you clamoring for Hibiki to be paired with one or the other – don't hold your breath for anything blatant. Nobody gets paired up in MAROONED (like I said this fic is part of a larger whole) – though certain sparks will fly next chapter ;p  
  
Meia as Ex-Convict; it just made sense considering what we know of her past – it doesn't look like she hung around with reputable people. I've also always viewed the Mejerr government as very 'Big Brother-ish' (Or Big Sisterish in their case) and the tracers in the blood just fit in too well with what I wanted to do. Also, expect me to delve into the ghosts of Meia's past even more in future fics…  
  
Parfet and Jura: Well the last shots of the second stage had Parfet pretty pissed at Blondie – just thought I'd start the antagonism a bit early to spice things up later ^_^ As for Jura being bitchy – well, she can be when things don't go her way. Remember when she had a headache and snapped at Duero? I can imagine she'd get more snippy with Barnette's life on the line…  
  
Hibiki: I think Duero summed it up pretty well – the reason why Hibiki pulls a Shinji in this episode is because the beasts handed him his ass on a platter, despite his training (remember Lessons of the Body? I told you this was in the same universe ;p) and he was unable to protect the women, or even affect the outcome, in any way. Waaay back in episode 2, Hibiki acted this way as well because he believed he was helpless, and though he's improved since then, he's been forced to realize that most of them have been won from within the mech. And with the mechs out of commission for the meantime, it leaves him open for a relapse. Of course, Gasco took care of that in a hurry. ;p  
  
That's it for now! As usual comments, criticicms and correspondence is more than welcome. We've just passed the halfway mark and it would be nice to know how things have been developing so far… Next chapter begins with some fights, and then some less stressful character interaction… But don't expect the absence of tension to last long. For at the end of the next chapter, we'll see just how the planet and the beasts are linked to the larger tapestry of the Vandread series – and an evil that even Earth would consider best left forgotten… Oh, and don't forget the fan service ^_~ Next Up: Vandread Chapter Four: Authentic Humanity. Wait for it! (Not for too long though we hope ;p)  
  
Sorry no Omake! Maybe I'll add it next time… 


	4. Authentic Humanity

Ender presents…  
  
==[A Vandread Fanfiction Series]==  
  
As of two seconds ago, everything had been going well for Hibiki Tokai and his team. Gascogne had taken the repair bot and, through sheer good fortune, had managed to arrive just as the captive crew members of the Nirvana were being led out of the cavern by their beast like captors. As they had previously agreed upon, Gascogne had flown low over the group, making as much noise as possible, forcing the beasts to flee and giving the women a chance to escape. From their vantage point atop a nearby hill, Hibiki and the others had watched the captives running towards them through the thickening mist, and all that was left for them to do was to rush downwards and free them. A simple matter really, as they had hoped – everything was going according to plan.  
  
Of course, that was two seconds ago.  
  
"Gasco!" Hibiki exclaimed, as he watched Gascogne's craft crashed into the forest, smoke trailing behind it like the tail of a kite. The object that had knocked it off course paused for a moment, then shot two laser- like beams from its 'head' setting the nearby forest ablaze. Only with the fog temporarily burned away from its form did Hibiki realize that it was not another creature, but a machine shaped like a gigantic spider.  
  
"What is that ?!?" Jura shuddered, pointing one graceful finger at the machine. "It's hideous!"  
  
"It's a mecha!" Parfet shouted, eyes wide behind her thick glasses. "What in the world is a mechanoid doing out here?"  
  
"Time enough for speculation later," Duero said, as he tightened his grip on his weapon. The Doctor then turned to Hibiki and said: "Whatever it is, it's a danger to the others – we'd best free them quickly."  
  
Almost as if on cue, the spider mech turned its red gaze towards the fleeing captives, and burned a wide swath of ground that barely missed the women.  
  
"Barnette!" Jura screamed, and before anyone could stop her, the blonde was running down the hill, her sword gleaming dangerously in the mist.  
  
"Jura! Wait!" Hibiki shouted, but the blonde paid him no mind. "Damn woman," he whispered, as he knelt down and picked up both his own weapon, and a bundle of spares that they would use to arm those amongst the captives who still had the energy to fight. He then turned towards the others and swept his arm down towards their approaching crewmates. "Free them and arm them, then get to the rendezvous point! Move it!"  
  
With that, the rescue team charged down the hill, moving almost as one mass, each brandishing a make-shift weapon cobbled together from the scattered junk and debris that had reclaimed from their battles in space. Hibiki led the charge, with Parfet and Duero close behind him, and tried not to let Jura get too far ahead of the main group. But the fog grew thicker the farther they descended, and soon he lost sight of her completely in the mist.  
  
"Damnitall!" the boy cursed roundly, as he turned to Duero and Parfet, "with this level of visibility, we could pass within two feet of the others and never notice a thing…"  
  
"Meia! Dita!" Parfet began to call out. "Anybody! Where are you?"  
  
As her shouts seemed to echo in the rolling mists, they noticed eddies of movement to their right. "There they are!" the pig tailed engineer shouted, as she began to move towards the disturbance, where a dark figure could be seen moving towards her. But the shadow was too large, too quick to be one of the women – and before Hibiki could warn her away a hairy, taloned hand emerged from the fog, reaching for Parfet's throat.  
  
"Get back!" Hibiki screamed, but it was too late – the hand closed swiftly around Parfet's neck, stifling the girls scream. She tried to pull away – and almost fell on her back when the entire hand came free, severed by a swing from Duero's 'scythe'.  
  
"Incoming!" was all Hibiki had time to say before the rest of the creatures were upon them, tearing, clawing, biting with their teeth. For a split second, Hibiki stood paralyzed with fear, his mind reeling backwards to his first encounter with the beasts. That moment almost cost him his life – if Duero had not deflected a blow meant for him, catching letting the beast's claws rake his own arm when they would have otherwise disemboweled the boy where he stood. Reacting almost instinctively at the danger to his friend, Hibiki thrust forward, and felt his spear slide in and out of the creature with little resistance, sending the beast crashing to the ground. The doctor could only give him a brief nod before the next wave of attackers arrived - but this time, Hibiki was ready. The boy had little training in weaponry, and his injuries forced him to operate at less than his peak, but even with his left arm dangling almost uselessly at his side, the double bladed spear was an effective weapon in the boy's hands. Its edges were sharp enough to cut through reinforced steel, and it needed very little force behind it to decapitate the flesh and blood creatures who threw themselves before its deadly arc. Beside him Parfet was holding her own, trying to keep her distance but striking quick and efficiently with her wide bladed 'dagger' when an enemy got too close, or threatened the backs of her colleagues.  
  
It was Duero however who carried the battle. His long hair whipping across his face as he fought with the effortless grace which could only come from years of training. His scythe was a blur, flickering in and out of the bodies of his enemies with the efficiency of a man who knew exactly where and how hard to hit. No move was wasted, each one flowing into the next in a deadly dance that soon left the three humans surrounded by the corpses of beasts.  
  
Hibiki and Parfet stared at Duero in amazement, but the Doctor cut off their unspoken questions with a quick shake of his head. "We have no time," he began, as he proceeded deeper into the mist. Around them they could hear – though not see – the battles that ensued as their teammates encountered groups of the aliens. "It seems the beasts have decided to retake their captives – and us along with them. We cannot wait for the others – we must press on. If we do not hurry and arm the captives, they will be easy prey."  
  
"I don't get it," Hibiki wondered aloud as he fell into place beside the other two as they ran forward, "The repair drone already sent them running – why would they come back? Unless… You don't think that mecha spider is helping them out do you?"  
  
It was the engineer who answered. "They certainly don't look like a technological society to me," she said. "But it could have all been a huge set – up…"  
  
"A set – up? For what?" Hibiki asked.  
  
Before anyone could answer him however, the sounds of battle were pierced by a high – pitched scream of rage, from somewhere in their immediate vicinity, a scream which was followed immediately by the battle cries of a multitude of beasts.  
  
"That was Barnette!" Parfet exclaimed, before pointing to their left. Already they could see a large concentration of beasts heading in that direction.  
  
"Quickly," Duero said, as the three humans picked up the pace. "We don't have much time -!"  
  
==[VANDREAD]==  
  
Vandread: MAROONED  
  
Chapter Four: Authentic Humanity  
  
Disclaimer: While I own this fic, Gonzo owns Vandread. And here's to the hope that they make use of that ownership for a long time to come…  
  
Timeline: This series takes place in-between the ending of the First Stage and the start of the Second Stage. Think of it as Stage 1.5 perhaps ^_^  
  
==[VANDREAD]==  
  
For Meia Gisborn, there was no worse emotion than that of helplessness.  
  
Weakened as she was by her enforced blood loss, the Dread Leader found herself lagging behind her friends as they made their escape, one hand clutching the wound at her side. When they noticed that the blue haired girl was trailing the group, Paiway and Dita dropped back to help her, but she waved them off fiercely.  
  
"Go on! If you wait for me, we'll all be in danger," she hissed at the girls. "I'll be fine… Move!"  
  
Paiway needed little convincing, the young nurse already pushed to the limits of her endurance by their captivity, and by the arrival of the mechanical spider. Dita however, was another matter entirely. While the black haired girl ran ahead, the red head continued towards Meia.  
  
"Dita, I told you to leave me be… that was an order," Meia said, but she stopped when she saw the determined look on Dita's face.  
  
"Dita will not leave Leader behind!" she proclaimed, supporting Meia's body with her shoulder. "Leader has already done too much…"  
  
Meia shook her head – further argument would just leave them both farther behind the main group. And though she hated to admit it, part of her was grateful for the help. "Alright," she conceded, "Let's go."  
  
The two women trudged through the mist, which had grown so dense as to render their eyes almost useless. They relied on their other senses instead, and both strained their ears as they walked to try and give them some knowledge of their surroundings. They hoped that they would hear human voices, or the rustle of cloth against the bush, anything that would indicate the presence of the other captives, or better yet, the rescue party. Instead, what they heard were low growls and guttural roars – initially from a distance, but slowly moving closer to them as time wore on, until Meia was certain that they were right on top of them.  
  
And then, all of a sudden… the noise stopped. The eerie silence was even more unnerving.  
  
"Leader…" Dita began in a worried voice, but Meia shushed her with a finger to her lips. This was wrong… They were waiting for something.  
  
And then they heard the voice, just as they saw the green haired figure coming towards them through the mist.  
  
"Meia! Dita! Damnit, where are you two?"  
  
Meia didn't stop to think, just broke free from Dita's grasp and rushed forward, ramming her shoulder into Barnette's gut and sending both women tumbling down into the grass, just as a whoosh of air marked the passage of something large pouncing upon the area where they had been standing just moments before.  
  
"Meia what're you - " Barnette angrily began, but she stopped when she saw the feral looking beast hunched before them, just before it lunged at them, talons hungrily seeking their flesh.  
  
"No!" they heard Dita shout from behind it, throwing her smaller frame against the massive bulk of the beast, in an effort to knock it off course. She succeeded to an extent, and the alien missed its intended targets, landing some three feet away from them. It turned swiftly, but the interval had given the two women enough time to get to their feet. Even with their hands firmly restrained behind their backs, both Barnette and Meia were well trained fighters, among the best on the ship. Weakened though they were, both had been waiting a long time to get back at their captors, and this passion fueled their muscles as they lashed out, with feet and shoulders and the weight of their bodies, to knock the beast senseless.  
  
"You should have been more cautious," Meia, breathing heavily from exertion, admonished the green haired pilot as the latter delivered one final kick to the head of the beast. "It was fool hardy to come back here alone, shouting out your presence to all the world."  
  
"Well excuse me for caring," Barnette answered, "Next time would you rather I just leave you to rot?"  
  
"That's not what I…" Meia began, but stopped as soon as she heard the growls begin once more from all around them. In seconds six more of the beasts advanced from the mist, red eyes intent on the three women before them.  
  
"Looks like he had friends…" Dita said. "What do we do now?"  
  
Meia clenched her jaw in frustration. She turned to Barnette and shared a bleak look with the green haired pilot. This was a hopeless battle and they both knew it… hobbled as they were, they stood no chance against so many of the beasts. At the same time, both of them knew better than to mention this to Dita – the child was an unbending optimist. Besides, hopeless or not, there was only one thing to do in a situation like this one. The Dread Leader turned back at their impeccable enemies and forced a grim smile onto her face.  
  
"We fight."  
  
With that Meia launched herself at the first of the beasts, landing a hard kick against its face. The beast roared and stumbled backwards, but before she could follow through on her attack, one of its companions knocked her down with a viscous backhand. It loomed over her, about to attack when Barnette placed herself before her fallen friend.  
  
"Oh no, you don't" the green haired pilot said, before snapping off a series of kicks that sent the beast staggering backwards – and forcing it to trip over Dita, who had crouched behind it just as Barnette had attacked. The three women held their own against the remaining beasts for awhile, but steadily found themselves being pushed further and further back – probably into a trap, Meia grimly thought. To her eye, it seemed that the aliens were holding themselves back, being careful not to unsheathe their claws, probably needing their 'sacrifices' to be alive.  
  
"We can't keep getting pushed back," Meia said, at which point Barnette shook her head.  
  
"I'm open to any ideas," the other girl said - just as a flash of black and blonde darted behind the nearest beast. With a sick gurgle, it collapsed, its head pierced by a sword blade that appeared suddenly between its eyes, and which was just as suddenly withdrawn. Two more of the aliens fell in a similar manner before they could fall back before the new threat.  
  
"Bar-net-to," Jura chided, "Jura is disappointed in you - you _know_ how Jura hates to worry – and you've made me do nothing else these past few hours! For shame… you're going to give me wrinkles!" The tone contained Jura's usual mixture of glibness and arrogance, but the blonde's expression was one of happy relief, and tears were evident in her blue eyes.  
  
"Jura!" her partner exclaimed, the smile on her face saying everything that they couldn't find the time to say. "Am I glad that you're here!"  
  
"So what else is new?" the blonde asked with a smile, although she sniffled a bit as she said so. She then proceeded to cut through the restraints of the three women. "Jura is glad you're all safe," she said, to Dita and Meia.  
  
"So am I," Meia answered with a tight smile, rubbing her wrists in an effort to get circulation back into them.  
  
"What about Uchuujin-san," Dita asked immediately. "Is he –"  
  
"The idiot is fine," Jura assured her, "He's with the rest of the rescue party – I just thought that Barnette had missed me too much already so I hurried down ahead of them."  
  
"You sure got that right," Barnette said, and was on her was to give her partner a much needed hug when the beast came swinging down from the trees, one hand grasping a strong length of vine, the other reaching out to catch Jura by the waist. Before anyone could react, the beast was swinging back into the trees, growling a war cry while Jura's sword fell to the ground.  
  
"Jura!!!" Barnette screamed, but her voice was soon drowned out by the roars of a dozen or more of the beasts, coming from all around them. The mists seemed to ripple, and from within its depths streamed a good ten or more of the creatures, running at breakneck speeds towards the three women.  
  
"Barnette!" Meia shouted, pulling on her wrist. "We've got to move!"  
  
The other girl was frantic with worry over Jura however, and pulled away from Meia's grip. "Jura!" Barnette screamed again, before turning towards the incoming beasts with eyes filled with hate. Picking up the blonde's sword, she rushed the beasts, brandishing the weapon high in the air. "Give Jura back to me!"  
  
"Barnette!" Dita cried, and she and Meia rushed forward to help, just as the green haired pilot clashed with the first wave of aliens. The sword shined like a star in the darkness of the mist, coming down again and again against the flesh of the beasts, felling one, then two, then three of them. But there were too many, and a glancing blow to her head sent the green haired pilot tumbling to the earth, where she impacted hard upon a rock and lost consciousness, her eyes rolling back in her head. The beasts roared triumphantly, and one of them reached down to pick up their prize – when it suddenly realized it had no arms. Soon after, it had no life either as a spear entered its neck smoothly from behind, and it tumbled forward to reveal –  
  
"Uchuujin-san!" Dita shouted in joy. Hibiki had a fierce look on his face as he fought off the other beasts with his spear, onehandedly for it seemed as if his left hand had been injured in a prior battle, stabbing and slashing in such a way that any alien that approached him was left with severe wounds. The boy was quickly followed by Parfet and Duero, each wielding their own weapons. The doctor stooped to pick up the fallen pilot while the other two held the beasts at bay, and then the three members of the rescue team hurried toward Meia and Dita's position. Dita immediately tackled Hibiki in a fierce hug, babbling all the while about how sorry she was and how glad she was, all at once. To his credit, Hibiki let the girl release all her pent up emotions, although his injuries caused him to visibly wince as her hug grew tighter.  
  
"Hey! Easy on the ribs!" Hibiki finally said. "I'm fine okay? Though I won't be if you keep squeezing me woman!"  
  
Dita jumped back with a small 'eep'. Meia meanwhile had approached the Doctor, who had laid out Barnette on the ground and was currently running several instruments along her body.  
  
"Will she be okay Doctor," she asked Duero, without any preliminaries. She was glad to see her friends, but reunions could wait until they had safely resolved the present crisis.  
  
The long haired man nodded his head. "She'll be fine – the blow merely knocked her senseless for awhile." He turned his penetrating gaze towards Meia. "Frankly, "I'm more worried about you."  
  
Meia waved her hand in dismissal, but Parfet took hold of her arm. "We're serious Meia – it wasn't hard to calculate how much blood you lost in leaving a trail for us… We need to get you back to base as soon as possible."  
  
Hibiki nodded. "You've got that right… That was some stunt you pulled Meia," he said, then _tsked_, "And you call _me_ reckless…"  
  
She gave him a cool stare. "It was necessary at the time," she explained. "Besides, we have more pressing concerns right now – They have Jura."  
  
Hibiki gave a start. "What do you mean they _have_ Jura?"  
  
Parfet heaved a deep breath. "And I thought we were able to scare them away with the repair drone…"  
  
"Seems they changed their minds," Duero said. "Looks like they're looking to take us prisoner once more…"  
  
"Not merely prisoners," Meia corrected the doctor, her thoughts on the gruesome paintings displayed on the cavern walls, "We were captured to serve as sacrifices of some sort."  
  
Dita nodded her assent. "We saw a picture of it too – they drew what they were planning." The red head paused for a moment. "Come to think of it, that spider that we saw - that was what we were supposed to be sacrificed _to_!"  
  
"That doesn't make much sense," Hibiki said. "What use could it have for sacrifice? It's just a mecha."  
  
"What god would have use for blood of any kind?" Duero replied. "What matters is what the creatures themselves believe – if they worship that machine, they may believe it to be 'angry' - and if so they will seek to appease it by sacrificing any of us that they can get their hands on."  
  
Dita grew agitated at the man's words. "We have to hurry and rescue Jura! Dita will go search for her!"  
  
Meia's eyes narrowed and she nodded. "I agree. We have no more time to waste." She began to move in the direction she had seen the beast take the blonde pilot when Hibiki's hand closed around her wrist.  
  
"And where do you think you're going?" Hibiki asked. "You can't bleed half your life away and then expect to go traipsing about the jungle… Leave Jura to me and Dita."  
  
Meia forced herself to let the boy finish before tearing her arm from his grasp. "I'm far from dead," she answered, "and as long as I remain so then I believe I can be of _some_ help." Before she continued she made a show of letting her cool gaze run over the boy from head to toe. "Besides, you're not exactly in top shape either."  
  
The man and the woman glared at each other, oblivious to the encroaching sounds of their enemies.  
  
"Um, guys?" Parfet interrupted. "I really think we should settle this issue elsewhere don't you?"  
  
Neither of the two stubborn pilots was listening however. Hibiki shook his head in disgust. "You're going to have to give me a better reason than that."  
  
"Since when do I have to answer to you?" she snapped, ignoring the dizziness that passed through her as her temper began to rise. _It's just my irritation_, she though to herself, _It's not weakness… Not at all…_ Brushing her doubts aside she rounded on him in tightly controlled fury. "How about this for a reason – You. Can't. Stop. Me."  
  
"Will you listen to me for once you stubborn bi- "  
  
"Enough!" Duero admonished the two of them in a voice loud enough to get their attention. The doctor turned to Hibiki first. "Since I'm the only qualified Doctor here, I think it's _my_ job to determine whether Meia is physically fit to continue or not." With that he turned his calculating gaze towards the blue haired girl. The doctor didn't have any medical instrument with him – at least not a technological one – and yet Meia couldn't help but feel that his eyes saw her every weakness, every cut, bruise and sore muscle. Silently she willed herself to health, willed him to let her do her duty. Jura had saved their lives a few short minutes ago, and Meia Gisborn always paid her debts.  
  
Still, at the back of her mind Meia knew she was not in fighting condition. Thus it was some surprise that she realized that instead of pronouncing her unfit, Duero instead asked her if she felt she was up to the task.  
  
"Yes," she replied, not hesitating for a moment. "I'm fine doctor."  
  
Duero gave her a strange look and then he nodded. "I think she can make it," he said, overriding Hibiki's unspoken protest. He then produced three red capsules from one of the pockets of his long coat. "Here, take one of these pills now and bring the others along with you – they should help you replenish the blood you lost at a quicker rate. Take them whenever you need an energy boost."  
  
The Dread Leader took the proffered medicines, and swallowed the first one without complaint, grateful to be allowed to join the hunt. As she pocketed the other two pills, Hibiki unwrapped a pair of the cobbled- together weapons that she had seen them using, handing one to Dita and the other to Meia. The blue haired girl's knees almost buckled when she took the 'axe' from Hibiki, and she struggled to hand it back to him without making her weakness obvious to her friends.  
  
"I wouldn't be comfortable with a melee weapon," she lied. "Do we have anything else?"  
  
At her words, Parfet slipped off an energy ring from her left hand and deposited it in Meia's palm. "Here," the engineer said. "I know you'd feel naked without one."  
  
Meia gave the other woman a smile of genuine gratitude. "Thank you Parfet," she said, just as another roar echoed in the distance.  
  
Duero looked from the mist shrouded jungle back to the prone form of Barnette before turning to the three pilots. "You three get moving," he said. "We'll stay here and cover Barnette while she recovers, then try to rendezvous with the others at the agreed upon site. We'll meet the four of you back there."  
  
Hibiki nodded and gave the doctor a thumbs up sign. "I know the plan Duero – we'll be there."  
  
"Are you guys going to be okay?" Dita asked in a worried tone.  
  
Parfet waved her hand in a motion of dismissal. "Won't be a problem Dita- chan – you guys just go find Jura, we'll take care of this end."  
  
Meia looked from one to the other, noting the determined set of their faces. She nodded briskly. "Good luck. To all of us."  
  
With that she turned towards her two companions, and together they set off into the mist.  
  
==[VANDREAD]==  
  
Parfet had to raise her voice to be heard over the rising sound of the beasts approach.  
  
"I was surprised that you let her go," she said to her partner. "I remember how concerned you were back at the ship… I'm no doctor, but Meia didn't look all that healthy to me…"  
  
"That's because she isn't," Duero answered her calmly, as he took a step or two forward, putting himself directly in front of Barnette. "She's lost a lot of blood – it's amazing she can even stand."  
  
The engineer's brow furrowed at his words, even as she assumed a position opposite his own, protecting his back with the downed pilot sandwiched between them as per their unspoken plan. It was strange how they seldom had to consult each other anymore when coming up with a course of action – they simply acted, and the other would know immediately what was required of him or her, almost as if in organic unity.  
  
"So why did you let her go then? Won't that make things worse?"  
  
With their backs turned to each other, Parfet couldn't see Duero's face, but his small sigh – a rare instance of emotion – was enough to let her know how frustrated he was feeling. "If she were anybody else I wouldn't have. But these past few months have taught me a thing or two about Meia – most notably the fact that she doesn't take well to being coddled. I think enforced inactivity – and her certain resistance to the idea – would be more of a stress to her system than practically any other alternative. The drugs I gave her won't replace the blood, but they'll prevent her system from going into shock. Hopefully we'll be able to get her back to the ship before her condition worsens." He paused then, as a particularly loud roar echoed across the air. He turned to Parfet and gave her a wry smile. "Besides, it's not like she'd be much safer with us anyway."  
  
Despite everything, Parfet found herself grinning back at him. "I guess you're right there," she said, and she was surprised by how calm she sounded. Logically, her heart should be beating a hundred times a second by now. She was no fighter, and even though Duero had proven to be exceptionally talented in that department, the number of beasts that were converging on their position seemed to have tripled in the last few seconds, if the noise was any indication. And yet, the engineer found herself feeling strangely… calm.  
  
"Hey Duero," she said in a low voice, her hands gripping her 'dagger', "I just want you to know that - " she continued, then stopped as she noticed something.  
  
The noise had stopped.  
  
"Get ready," Duero hissed, just as the mist cleared, and a dozen beasts poured across the forest towards them.  
  
The next few seconds were a blur for the engineer, a series of slashes and thrusts, most made without even seeing her opponents clearly, just a swath of fur here, a shining talon there – it didn't matter where she attacked, her blade almost always connected with something, so thick was the press of beasts. If they had been trying to kill her she knew she would have perished within those first few moments – but the beasts wanted living sacrifices, not dead ones, and because of thus she was able to hold her own. She was aware that Duero was having an even harder time, for he was protecting her as well as himself, sometimes leaving his own back exposed to decapitate an enemy that Parfet had not spotted.  
  
Together the pair fought valiantly against the seemingly endless waves of creatures… But soon, they began to tire. Their parries and thrusts came slower, with less force, and more and more of the enemies attacks breached their defenses. Duero was suffering from numerous cuts, his long coat already in tatters, while Parfet had a long gash down one leg, and she knew a bruise was forming from where one of the beasts had managed to strike her face. Her dagger, once so light in her hands, now felt as if it were weighed more than she did, and as she tried to slash it anew across the belly of a new enemy, another creature landed a blow to her arm that sent the weapon spiraling into the mist. Parfet hardly had time to shout Duero's name as beasts grabbed both her arms and began to haul her away – but the Doctor was beset on all sides, and though he struggled, he could not free himself in time to save her.  
  
And then Barnette was there, her mouth open wide in a soundless scream of rage, Jura's sword whirling in deadly silver arcs that quickly cleared a space around them. Parfet's captors fell, as did a few of those who were engaging Duero, allowing the doctor to make short work of those that remained. Faced with a new threat the beasts fell back slightly, though still within visible range, snarling their displeasure while they circled the three humans.  
  
"Barnette," Parfet gasped, trying to catch her breath, "You okay?"  
  
The pilot nodded. "It will take a lot more than a lucky blow to keep me down for the count," she said. Then, in a worried voice: "Where's Jura?"  
  
"Hibiki took Meia and Dita to go look for her," Duero answered, his eyes never leaving their foes. "Are you certain you're alright? No dizziness, double vision?"  
  
"Don't worry about me Doctor," Barnette replied, her eyes narrowed. "If you want to worry, save it for _them_."  
  
The beasts remained in their positions for a few moments more, a few making quick feints at the humans every now and then, but none actually launching an attack. Then suddenly one of the creatures drew itself to its full height, and cocked its head to one side, as if listening to something. It then barked out a word in the creatures guttural language, and, as quickly as they had come, they were gone, sending yips of fear floating back through the mist towards the humans ears.  
  
The three looked around anxiously in the sudden silence.  
  
"I don't like the looks of this," Parfet began, but before she could finish her sentence, her fears were realized as the mist parted before them to reveal the metal bulk of the spider mechanoid.  
  
From up close it was apparent that the machine had seen better days. It was covered with bits and pieces of dirt and vegetation, burn marks on several of its sides. It was an old model, Parfet could tell that at once, and though it looked like it was functioning well, she doubted it was being maintained at full capacity. It's metal legs curved downwards to form sharp protrusions that served to anchor it upon the ground as it walked. While the legs gave it its spider – like appearance, this was not a uniform theme. Unlike a spider, the mecha had a 'neck', seemingly made of a series of extendable components, shortening and lengthening as it moved its head to and fro. The head itself was cyclopean, with the central 'eye' serving as the barrel of the laser that they had seen it use against the repair drone – a laser that was currently swinging in their direction.  
  
"Scatter!" Barnette hissed, and the three of them broke off in different directions, just as a wave of heat assaulted the position where they had been standing moments before. While Duero and Barnette had moved away from the machine however, Parfet had intentionally tried to move closer to it. While the beasts had inspired fear in her, this was a machine – and though it was even deadlier, she had always been at ease with machines. It was clear that this mecha was connected tot he beasts somehow, and they wouldn't find anything out if they just kept running away.  
  
"Parfet!" Duero called out, and despite their situation, she couldn't help but realize it was the first time he had called her by name.  
  
"Stay out of its way," she shouted back, "I'm going in for a closer look!"  
  
True to her words, the engineer managed to slip between the legs of the mecha as it advanced towards Duero and Barnette. As she did so, she saw some dangling cables, still sparking electricity. Seeing her chance, she leapt and grabbed a few of them with her insulated gloves, and used them as leverage to haul herself upward, using her legs to support her by pinning them against the spider-like limbs of the mecha. The effort strained her already tired arm muscles, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to do much good unless she could get a hand on the body…  
  
There! Some sort of access port by the looks of it– that was just what she needed. Laboriously, she pulled herself towards it, trying not to let the dizziness she was experiencing from her horizontal position and the spider's movements distract her from her goal. Luckily, her legs found a ridge on one of the limbs that could serve as some sort of support and wrapping her legs around it she was able to ease the pressure on her arms. She reached for the cover of the access port and gingerly opened it, revealing a tangle of wires and circuits that would have stumped practically any other crew member of the Nirvana. But Parfet had not become the Chief Engineer of the Nirvana for nothing, and she quickly made sense of the circuitry, and tried to find a way to halt the machine in its tracks. Soon enough, she found a wire that her experience told her would be connected to the power source, and without further ado she reached in, grasped it in her gloved hands and _pulled_.  
  
Nothing happened.  
  
Muttering under her breath about the lack of logic of whoever created the infernal machine, she began to pull at wires indiscriminately, sending sparks flying from the insides of the machine, heedless of their purpose. Her scientific mind was slightly annoyed at having to resort to such base methods, but what mattered was that she stop the machine, and if she had to use brute force to do so then so be it.  
  
Finally she felt the machine stop, its front pair of legs seeming to pull inwards, unresponsive to its commands. In reaction the spider mech began to buck and shake, seemingly aware that the source of the damage was attached to its own body. Her legs alone were not enough to support Parfet in the face of such an effort, and with a yelp of fear the engineer found herself falling towards the ground.  
  
Parfet landed hard, her body screaming protest as the hard, uneven ground impacted against her body. To top it off, her glasses had fallen away during her tumble and, when coupled with the mist, the engineer found that she couldn't see her own feet, much less anything else. As the mecha made sounds of protest above her, she frantically felt for her glasses, aware that the spider's thrashing legs could be upon her at any moment.  
  
Then she felt a tug on her arm. "Come on," she heard Duero say, "We have to move, those legs are getting too close."  
  
"My glasses - " Parfet began, but the doctor was insistent.  
  
"There is no time!" he shouted, then without waiting for her assent, he scooped her up into his arms and ran as fast as he could away from the spider. Soon after they were joined by Barnette.  
  
"Good job Parfet!" the pilot was saying, "That should slow it down for awhile - " she broke off suddenly as Parfet felt a wave of heat from nearby. In response she felt Duero drop to the ground, shielding her with his body.  
  
"What's going on?" she asked, as she heard a buzzing sound, followed by another wave of heat.  
  
"It seems you did more damage than we first thought," Duero informed her, "it seems to be malfunctioning. It's firing its laser randomly – the nearby forest is already aflame. We have to… Wait," he said then, as a humming noise became audible from within the mist. "What is that?"  
  
Parfet sat up and squinted in the direction of the mecha, but all she saw was a dark blur within the gray mist. "I can't see it, what - "  
  
Suddenly the humming intensified to a near deafening level, and Parfet could see a ball of fire heading straight for the mechanoid.  
  
"Get down!" Duero shouted, and once more covered her body with his as a tremendous explosion rocked the area, heat and light emanating from the impact point in waves.  
  
As her sense of hearing began to return to her, Parfet turned back towards the mecha. In its place was a smoking crater, the surroundings still engulfed in flame.  
  
"What happened?" she asked. "What was that?"  
  
There was a tense silence before Barnette answered. "Gasco-san… That was the repair drone…"  
  
Parfet gasped in horror. "No… then Gasco-san…"  
  
"Wait," Duero interrupted, "Over there…"  
  
Duero pointed, and though the engineer could see nothing but a fuzzy shape, Barnette's joyful exclamation revealed their identities readily enough.  
  
"Gasco-san! BC!"  
  
Sure enough the two older women soon came into view, the Sub-Commander supporting a bedraggled looking Gascogne. As the two came closer however, Parfet could see that the taller woman had a broad smile on her face.  
  
"Oy!" Gasco called out. "You kids alright?"  
  
"We could ask you the same question," Duero replied. "That was foolhardy."  
  
The woman merely shrugged. "Hey, when you're at center stage, you have to act out your role," then she smiled again. "Besides, one good turn deserves another doesn't it? He got what was coming to him." She turned to Parfet. "I am sorry about the drone though… You can have a rack of missiles as compensation."  
  
Parfet laughed. "I'll hold you to that – just don't make a habit of crashing ships into the enemy ok? Gasco-san"  
  
"Who me?" Gasco said innocently. Then, more severely: "And how many times do I have to remind you – the name is _Gascogne_."  
  
Beside her, BC shook her silver hair. "Don't be so blasé about it," she chided, "If I hadn't been near your crash site, you might not have gotten out of that inferno alive."  
  
"True, but you did and I did so all is well eh?" she replied. "Smile BC, we're going home…"  
  
"That might be a bit more difficult than we had planned," Duero interjected, his arm indicating their surroundings. Slowly but steadily, beasts were gathering around the fiery remains of their 'god', each standing erect, each eerily silent. They came from all directions, and as they congregated, Parfet and the others had their first chance to see just how great their numbers were.  
  
"There must be hundreds of them," Barnette whispered, "Thousands of them…"  
  
"Let's not wait until we get an exact count," Gascogne said, her voice suddenly grim. "Back to the rendezvous point – quickly."  
  
"But Jura and - "  
  
"We won't do them any good if we're dead or captured," BC reminded the pilot, "If Hibiki is with them, then they know of the rendezvous as well. We'll have to look out for ourselves for awhile."  
  
With those words the five humans began to move swiftly but silently away from the gathered beasts, Duero leading Parfet by the arm. As they moved away, the engineer couldn't resist taking one last look at the assembled creatures. She stared at them for a good long time, and wondered whether this was the last they would see of them. And then, she realized something:  
  
They were staring back.  
  
==[VANDREAD]==  
  
From the start Meia, Dita and Hibiki had realized that their chances of tailing Jura and her captor was nil – they had no knowledge of how to track such a beast, no leads to go on, and the creature had a sizeable head start. As such, Dita had suggested that they not try to follow it at all – they knew where the sacrifice was going to be held, and if they headed in that general direction they should eventually run into Jura. Afterall, since the beasts wanted a live sacrifice, she should be safe until then. So they had made their way to the lone volcano which Dita remembered from the paintings the beasts had drawn on the walls… And judging by what they saw below them, their gamble had paid off.  
  
"It's her all right," Hibiki said as he lowered the binoculars and handed them to Meia, "Looks like Jura was the only one they could get their hands on – thank God for small favors…"  
  
The mist had begun to clear soon after they set out on their chase, and the clear air had become both a boon and a hindrance. While it made spotting Jura and their enemies much easier, it also caused their chances of being discovered to skyrocket proportionally. The three pilots were currently crouched behind some scattered rock beds, atop a slight rise that gave them a better view of the ground below.  
  
Beneath their position they could see a large gathering of creatures, perhaps a hundred or so, gathered around what appeared to be a rough hewn stone altar, placed precariously atop a small outcropping of land that jutted towards the volcano, before dropping downwards steeply, forming a cliff. At the edge of the precipice were aligned a dozen or so beasts who looked somewhat different… Older somehow, each holding an implement of some sort. These older beasts were silent, while the rest seemed to be talking amongst themselves in their strange language. There was one other figure as well who was not intent on being _silent_…  
  
"Let go of me you filthy, disgusting creatures!" Jura was shouting as she was manhandled towards the front of the gathering. "You're going to get your fleas in my beautiful hair!"  
  
"Definitely Jura," Meia agreed wryly, as she handed the binoculars in turn to Dita. "They are much too many of them for us to use a frontal assault though…"  
  
"Wasn't considering it anyway…" Hibiki said. "The best we can do is free Jura then escape."  
  
Meia nodded, then gazed out at the beasts gathered around the altar. "Three phases then, distract the enemy, free Jura, then escape. I think I can handle the distraction with a well placed energy blast from my ring, assuming I hit one of their 'elders'. "  
  
The red headed pilot joined in then, "Dita sees a gully that runs near the altar. Dita could hide there and then pop out and rescue Jura while their backs are turned!"  
  
"I'll come with you," Hibiki volunteered, but after brightening for a moment, Dita shook her head.  
  
"No, Uchuujin-san must stay with Leader," she said. "The bad aliens will be very angry when she shoots their old people, and they'll come after her for certain!"  
  
"I thought we were going to be shooting from a distance?" the boy asked.  
  
Meia shook her head. "Not that far away – the laser might not have enough power to punch through their thick hides unless we're fairly close." She looked at Hibiki directly then. "Don't worry about me, I can handle myself. What is important is that we rescue Jura, and having two of you don there will increase our chances of that."  
  
"No way!" Dita objected loudly. "Leader is hurt, and she doesn't have a close – up weapon… Uchuujin-san needs to stand guard."  
  
Hibiki looked torn, "But what about you?"  
  
At this Dita gave a bright laugh, and despite everything, Hibiki felt his spirits lift a little, "Dita feels happy that you're concerned about her, but don't worry! Dita is _very_ healthy!" she said, and she twirled around in a little spin to prove it, displaying her body in a way that made the male feel distinctly odd for some reason. "See?" she giggled.  
  
"Alright, we'll do it that way," Hibiki said, but Meia laid a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"I told you, I'll be okay," the Dread Leader said, slight annoyance evident in her voice. "You can go guard Dita…"  
  
Hibiki sighed. What was it with this woman? Why did she always try to make things difficult for herself. _Must be some sort of masochist thing_, he thought to himself. He had seen a few of those on Taraku. "Listen Meia, it's already been decided – unless you want to put this to a vote?"  
  
"I vote that Hibiki stays with Leader!" Dita proudly proclaimed, and Hibiki motioned to the energetic girl with his hands.  
  
"You see? You're outnumbered." He told a simmering Meia, before turning back to the creatures. Borrowing the binoculars from Dita he could see that Jura had been brought nearly to the altar. "We don't have much time," he said. "Now all we need is an escape plan..."  
  
Dita had a thoughtful expression on her face. "The mountain… They think the mountain is holy right?"  
  
The blue haired girl gave her a questioning glance. "From what we saw in the paintings, and the scene bellow us… Yes it seems that they think so."  
  
The red haired girl's expression took on a far away look. "When Dita was a child, she remembers that the people she was with used to go to a holy place to… Well, they'd go _to_ it, but they'd never go really _near_ it. I think when a place is holy, it means that a lot of people gather around it, but no one really ever gets close…" She brightened at that point and her eyes focused once more on her companions. "Sooo Dita thinks, if we get near enough the mountain, they won't follow us!"  
  
Meia thought it over for awhile, then nodded. "It could work… It would make sense for them to fear getting too close to the mountain. Otherwise why hold the sacrifice at this distance?"  
  
"It's certainly better than the other alternatives," Hibiki agreed. "That mountain isn't all that far away, and I certainly don't give much for our chances of making it back to the rendezvous point with a hundred of those things howling for our blood…"  
  
"It's decided then," the Dread Leader said. "Let's get going…"  
  
Quickly but cautiously, the three humans made their way down the small hill. At the bottom, Dita split from the main group and headed for the gully while the remaining two pilots tried to find a decent vantage point for their shot. It took them a few minutes, but finally they found a spot on another small hill that was close enough for the beam to retain its power, while providing them with enough cover that they would not be seen unless the beasts were actively searching for them. Still, they were uncomfortably close to the main gathering of creatures, and Hibiki found himself relieved that he had chosen to stay with Meia.  
  
Beneath them, Jura had reached the altar, and the beasts were tying her to it firmly despite her screams and struggles. Hibiki turned anxiously to Meia.  
  
"How long are we going to wait?"  
  
"As long as possible without risking her life," the girl replied. "We need to give Dita time to get into position. Besides, for this to be an effective distraction, it should take place in the middle of the ceremony."  
  
Realizing the sense in her words, Hibiki bit back his impatience and settled down to wait. He had barely finished doing so however when one of the elders of the beasts approached the altar. It aced the other creatures and let out a loud roar, one which was echoed back at it by the others. Then, without any further ado, it unsheathed its talons and turned to Jura.  
  
"So much for ceremony," Hibiki said, scrambling to his feet.  
  
"Shit," was Meia's hissed reply as she readied her ring, aimed, and fired in one smooth motion. The beam flew straight and true, lancing through the elder's head just as he was about to slash Jura's throat, and in moments he had collapsed lifeless against the altar. There was a brief moment of stunned silence… And then –  
  
As one, the beasts turned towards Meia and Hibiki.  
  
This time, they cursed together.  
  
The first few beasts charged up the hill to be met swiftly by the reinforced steel of Hibiki's double headed spear. Five or six fell to his attack before the first one gained a foothold – and then lost it immediately after when Meia blasted a hole though its throat. They continued to hold the beasts off with this strategy, Hibiki cutting a swath around them to give Meia the opportunity to aim and fire, but both of them knew it would last only so long as the beasts were unable to flank them, a situation that was swiftly changing.  
  
"This doesn't look good," Hibiki gasped as he disemboweled another beast, one which had given him a nasty cut on his chest that had barely missed his throat, "They're not trying to take us prisoner anymore."  
  
"Give me a second!" the girl replied, as she removed her ring and began to tinker with it.  
  
"That's… about… all… I … can… give…" Hibiki said through gritted teeth as he tried to hold back another group of beasts, leaping back from one which had tried to pounce upon him.  
  
"Done!" Meia crowed triumphantly, before she reared back her hand and with a grunt of exertion, threw her ring in the midst of the horde of beasts.  
  
"What're you - " Hibiki asked before an explosion rocked the area, sending both beasts and pieces of beasts flying across the air.  
  
"Overloaded it," Meia explained tersely as she grabbed his hand. "Let's get out of here while we can!"  
  
Both pilots broke into a dead run for the edge of the cliff. As they approached they could see Dita and Jura waving at them to hurry before both girls leapt from the cliff, down towards the volcano.  
  
Behind them the beasts had recovered, and with their elders roaring exhortations at them, the entire mass of creatures once again took off after the escaping pair, fangs bared and talons raking the air. They had almost reached them by the time Meia and Hibiki reached the cliff, but it was too late by then. Without a word, without hesitation, the two human jumped.  
  
They landed hard but kept their balance, the cliff not having been all that high. Even then however, both of them watched with relief as the beasts roared their rage from the top of the cliff, but made no attempt to pursue them further.  
  
"Looks like the plan worked," Hibiki said.  
  
Meia nodded guardedly. "For now. We'd better move out before they change their minds…"  
  
The forest seemed to continue a few feet beyond, and both pilots rushed to place themselves beneath its cover. As soon as they had entered into its shade, shouted greetings announced the presence of their companions. For the second time that day, Hibiki found himself engulfed in a fierce hug.  
  
"Oh Uchuujin-san!" his red-headed captor exclaimed, "You're all right! Dita was so worried!"  
  
"I won't be for long, if you keep this up," he managed to gasp out, "Leggo you crazy girl!"  
  
Almost as soon as he did so however, he found himself in another trap, this time wedged between those increasingly familiar female chest mounds.  
  
"Such bravery deserves a reward Jura thinks…" Jura said as she mashed him to herself. "For rescuing Jura, and more importantly, preventing her from getting even more filthy at the hands of those beasts, Jura hereby rewards you with - " she paused then for emphasis, and took a deep breath that put Hibiki's face in danger of implosion, "One kiss!"  
  
Suddenly the boy found himself yanked out of his soft prison and back into the arms of a certain red – head. "No way!" Dita said. "Uchuujin-san will get his reward from Dita!"  
  
"Why me?" Hibiki groaned, as he suddenly found himself thinking back fondly to being assaulted by beasts.  
  
"All right, that's enough," Meia broke in at that point, "We're not in the clear yet. I think we need to make it as close to the mountain as we can before we let our guard down."  
  
"I agree," Hibiki said hastily, taking advantage of the break in the tug of war to wiggle free of Dita's grasp. "We should probably rest a little while, then try to find a way back to the Nirvana. The sooner we get off this damned mudball, the better."  
  
The three girls nodded in agreement, and Dita smiled. "Well, at least we're safe for the meantime right?"  
  
Beside her Meia had a thoughtful expression on her face, and Hibiki knew her thoughts were returning to the spider mecha. "Let's just hope we're not replacing one danger for another," she said, as she looked up at the mountain that loomed in the distance…  
  
==[VANDREAD]==  
  
The four humans managed to cover most of the distance to the mountain before the fatigue from the past few hours began to catch up with them. Meia and Hibiki were in especially bad shape, both still on the mend from grievous injuries they had suffered in the first encounter with the beasts, and Meia struggling with the added burden of blood loss. Neither of them voiced a word of complaint, desperation, willpower and stubborn pride keeping them going when their bodies screamed they could go no further. There was a battle to be fought beyond their bodies, and as long as that was going on, they would not allow themselves to lose, or even to reveal, the battle within.  
  
Dita however had been watching the two anxiously ever since they began their trek into the forest. These two were two of the most important people in her lives, and in the lives of all the crew of the Nirvana: Leader and Uchuujin-san had bailed them out of impossible situations many times over. As for Dita herself, she felt her contributions to the team were largely a result of the training and inspiration she received from these two. She had known from the start of their trek that both were hurt and were pushing the limits of their endurance, and she took it upon herself to make sure that no harm would come to her two friends. For this reason she kept her eyes peeled during their travels for a suitable place to rest.  
  
Finally, when the two were in danger of collapsing in utter exhaustion, the four came across a clearing which – although giving them shade from the increasing heat of the planets sun – was suitably clear at ground level for them to stretch themselves out a bit. Moreover, as they approached, the sound of running water was evident nearby. Telling the others to wait – and instructing Jura to keep an eye on their two friends – she searched and found the source of the sound to be a fresh, gurgling stream not five meters from the clearing. Skipping happily she made her way back to the others.  
  
"It's perfect!" she gushed, "We can get some rest here for now, and then later tonight we can try to move back towards the Nirvana!"  
  
"Well, Jura wouldn't call it perfect," Jura began, daintily brushing dirt off her uniform, "I mean its humid and sticky and all these _bugs_, - " she began, but then broke off as Dita gave her a meaningful look. Dita rarely used 'the look', was rarely confrontational, but those who had been around the redhead long enough knew that unless it was a matter of grave importance, at this point it was usually best to let the girl get her way. Thus Jura blinked and finished with: "Um, but I mean – it's great! We should camp here right now!"  
  
"But we have to… get away…" Meia managed to say, "The creatures…"  
  
"They stopped at the cliff!" Dita reassured her, "Dita thinks they must have! Or they would have caught up to us by now…"  
  
"We're not sure…" the Dread Leader continued, but Jura cut her off.  
  
"Listen Meia, we're not going to make much headway as it is now anyway… You and Hibiki look like you can barely take three more steps."  
  
Meia bristled at the thought that she might be 'weak'. "I'm fine," she insisted.  
  
"Really?" Jura asked, arching an eyebrow. "Why don't you ask Hibiki? I think he agrees with me…"  
  
"Hibiki what do you - " Meia began, but the blue haired girl broke off when she saw their male companion.  
  
Hibiki Tokai was already spread out on the ground, eyes closed and snoring lightly.  
  
Dita knelt down beside him and stoked his sweat drenched hair. "Awww… poor Uchuujin-san…" she said. Then she giggled. "But he is rather cute when he is asleep isn't he?"  
  
Jura rolled her eyes. "You _always_ find him cute Dita…"  
  
Meia sighed, then sat down heavily on the grassy ground. "Well… I guess you may be right… But someone has to be on watch so that - "  
  
Once more Jura waved her concerns away. "What do you take Jura for Meia? AN amateur? I've been a pirate longer than you have, so don't think I can't handle the posting of a watch." Then her tone softened as she cleared out a patch of grass for the other pilot to lay upon. "Now just get your rest… Dita and Jura will take the first two watches, and whichever amongst the two of you looks better by the time the third watch comes around will be the one we wake ok?"  
  
"But I -" the weakened girl tried one last half-hearted protest.  
  
"Sleep Meia," Jura said, and Dita nodded in enthusiastic agreement. Together the blonde and the redhead pushed the Dread Leader gently onto the ground, not leaving her side until they were sure that she was asleep. When they were sure that Meia was getting her rest, they walked some distance away from the two sleeping individuals.  
  
Jura heaved a great sigh. "Jura honestly thinks that tackling the beasts would be less tiring than getting Meia to listen to reason," she said. "If she wasn't so strong, her suicidal tendencies would have meant the end of her by now…"  
  
Dita shook her head in turn. "Dita understands – When Leader wants something sooo badly, she's willing to give up everything for it. Dita knows how she feels…"  
  
With a smile and an arched eyebrow, Jura turned to her fellow pilot. "Do you now?" the blonde purred. "I wonder who makes you feel this way hmmm? Someone I know?"  
  
Before she could control herself, Dita's eyes darted towards Hibiki, before darting away again and leaving her with an intense blush.  
  
"Ohoho," Jura laughed. "You shouldn't be so shy… It's not like everybody else doesn't know…"  
  
This of course merely made Dita blush harder.  
  
Jura put her arm around the younger girl. "Here's what Jura will do – I will take the first watch, then you can take the second one. This way, you can wake Hibiki up for the next watch – he got more rest than Meia anyway – and then, before you turn in, you can have a little heart to heart! Isn't Jura so great?"  
  
Dita paled. "Oh… Oh noooo… Dita couldn't… I mean, I can't…"  
  
In response Jura just held out her hand. "Jura will hear no more of it. Jura takes first watch so that her beauty sleep will be uninterrupted afterwards. Otherwise, Jura will get wrinkles…"  
  
"But -"  
  
Suddenly the blonde loomed large in front of Dita, who let out a startled yelp.  
  
"Diiitaaa," Jura intoned in a menacing voice, "Do you want to give Jura wrinkles?"  
  
Knowing that this was a sensitive topic for the other pilot, Dita gulped and hastily answered in the negative. In response Jura nodded her head imperially and pointed towards the area where the others lay.  
  
"Go then and sleep, that's a direct order!"  
  
Sheepishly Dita returned to the two other pilots and lay on the ground. At first she thought she would have problems sleeping, what with her being anxious about their situation, the fate of the others, and what she would tell Uchuujin-san during their talk… But almost as soon as her head hit the ground, she was asleep.  
  
Her slumber was deep and dreamless – thus it seemed as if no time at all had passed before Jura was gently shaking the redhead awake.  
  
"Your turn Dita," Jura said as the other girl rubbed the sleep from her eyes, "Jura needs her beauty sleep…"  
  
"Y-yes," Dita said, stretching her arms out to work out the kinks in her muscles before standing up. Jura flopped herself down on the patch of grass that the other had just vacated.  
  
"MMmmmm," the blonde purred. "Still warm… Now don't forget what we agreed to Dita, when you wake Hibiki, take a few minutes to talk with him okay?"  
  
Dita gulped. "But Jura – he won't want to talk with me!"  
  
"There are ways to make him willing…"  
  
"Jura!"  
  
The blonde sighed, then turned to look seriously at her friend. "Listen Dita," Jura said in a somber voice, "I know you always believe that things will turn out for the best, but right now we're in a difficult situation. In our line of work, there's always a chance that someone won't come back alive…" The older pilot paused for emphasis. "When Barnette was captured, all I could think of were the times I missed the chance to tell her how much I appreciated her, and how much I loved her… I think those same thoughts now, not knowing if I'll ever see her again…" She trailed off, her eyes far away for a moment, before refocusing on Dita. "All I'm saying is – the two of you have this night together… Make the most of it ok?"  
  
It was quite a lot for the red head to absorb, but in her heart she knew that Jura spoke the truth. Dita took a deep breath and nodded to her friend.  
  
"Good," the blonde replied, a smile on her face. She patted Dita on the cheek. "What would you all do without Jura?" she asked, and without waiting for an answer, she promptly turned over and closed her eyes. In seconds Jura began to snore.  
  
Dita stifled a giggle. It was one of the worst kept secrets on the Nirvana that the poised, elegant Jura was a heavy snorer. Barnette had divulged that little tidbit after one of their frequent spats and sooner or later the rumor had taken a life of its own. No one ever said so to Jura's face however… It wouldn't be proper. Besides, Jura always had her sword within arms reach…  
  
Dita's shift passed her by almost as quickly as her scant few hours of sleep. She had already made her mind after Jura's little speech that she would try to speak to Uchuujin-san when she woke him to replace her… But what would she say? She racked her brains for a safe topic they could discuss… Of course she knew what she _wanted_ to say, but she certainly couldn't tell him _that_… Could she? Was she even sure that was what she felt? Maybe she should ask someone first… But they were all asleep. She could wait till they got back to the Nirvana and – but no, Jura had said now was the time. And Dita agreed. Sort of. Oh a topic – she should think of a topic. He was interested in food – but would he like to hear about her cooking? Besides it might just make them hungry – Dita was getting hungry already actually. Stop! Focus… Think about what to say… Oh why did this have to be so _difficult_…  
  
Before she knew it, the sun had reached and surpassed its apex, and had already progressed downwards quite a bit, indicating that her shift was over. Dita bit her lip, mulling over the possibility of not waking Uchuujin- san up until she had thought of something to say – but when ten minutes or so had passed with nary a thought going through her head, she realized that she'd never wake him at this rate. Reluctantly then, she reached out and nudged the boy awake.  
  
Hibiki snorted once, then blinked his eyes open, lids still heavy from drowsiness. "Wha… wha…" he muttered, then focused bleary eyes on Dita.  
  
"It's… I mean, Leader said we should take turns standing watch…"  
  
He boy sighed, then nodded. "My turn now I guess huh?"  
  
Dita nodded wordlessly, trying to think of something to say, but her thoughts always returned to those words she _couldn't_ say, and all that accomplished was to make her blush.  
  
Hibiki stood up and yawned, cracking his neck from side to side and rubbing his arms gingerly to wake them up. "How long a shift? And who's next?"  
  
"Around two hours," the girl answered, relieved that they were talking, but not really _talking_, "Then you wake Leader up for the last watch…"  
  
The boy nodded. Fully awake now, he surveyed their surroundings while his good hand reached down and grasped his double headed spear. He twirled it around in his hands, then stifled another yawn,, before turning back to Dita.  
  
"Alright, Hibiki Tokai is on the job," he said, giving her a rare smile. "You should get some rest too… The past few hours can't have been easy for you…"  
  
The red head nodded mutely, her insides in turmoil. He was sending her to bed already! How could she start anything when she'd already been dismissed?  
  
The boy himself provided the solution when he turned to see her still standing there, head down, a curious red flush on her cheeks. "Eh? Is there something on your mind?"  
  
_If only you knew,_ Dita thought despondently, but she had to think of something to say, and fast. "Dita… Dita just wanted to thank you… You know, for coming to our rescue again…"  
  
Hibiki grew a bit flustered at that, but waved the praise away. "Don't sweat it, I know you guys would have done the same thing…"  
  
"We would have tried," Dita replied, "but we might have failed… Like Dita did when she tried to get you to safety from the bad aliens…"  
  
It took awhile for the boy to understand what she was talking about but when he did he rounded on her, "Oh c'mon, I can't believe you still think that was your fault! There were hundreds of those nasties out there… It was amazing that you were able to get me that far! If it hadn't been for you and Meia. I don't think I would have made it alive…"  
  
Dita brightened at that, a smile returning to her face as naturally as the planets spin, "Really? You think so?" She gave a happy little laugh. "Dita is always happy to help Uchuujin-san! If – if anything ever happened to you I…" she said, then trailed off. Dita looked at him with suddenly wide eyes. "Uchuujin-san…"  
  
_Say it, say it!_  
  
"Dita is… really glad you're ok…"  
  
_That wasn't it…_  
  
The boy gave her a thumbs up, "Hey! It would take a lot more than hairy aliens to get the best out of Hibiki Tokai y'know?"  
  
Dita laughed, buoyed by his confidence. How could she help but be optimistic with Uchuujin-san there with her?  
  
"Now, get some rest…" Hibiki said gently, "We have a long day yet ahead of us."  
  
She nodded, and lay herself down on the ground. She knew that on some level, she'd failed to say what she truly wanted to… But Hibiki's confidence had restored her own, and if there was one thing Dita was sure of, it was that they would get out of this alive. And then there would be other days, other opportunities, to tell him… To tell him…  
  
And then she was asleep.  
  
==[VANDREAD]==  
  
As with Dita, the hours passed quickly for Hibiki as he made his rounds around the makeshift camp. He'd learned that the forest and its small creatures were his friends, his co-watchers – whenever a silence blanketed the woods, he felt the hackles on the back of his neck rise and he began to look for intruders. Usually it would be a large predator of some kind, no threat to Hibiki and the others but certainly to the smaller animals around them, but in this way Hibiki was assured that he had a functional early warning device. His mind free of some of its anxiety, it was free to truly appreciate the abundance of life all around him. It was certainly a change from Taraku, and even from the artificial 'garden' that the women had built on their Pirate ship and which had carried over to the Nirvana. The plants on the ship were alive certainly, but they were cared for by humans, carefully sculpted into aesthetically pleasing patterns. Here, the animals and the vegetation lived and died through their own efforts, growing free and uncontrolled, their destiny manifestly of their own making. The boy was aware he was probably making too much of their natural growth, but still he found himself silently saluting them on their efforts. He understood the desire to make your own path.  
  
Still, as fascinating as the planet's life had come to be for him, his eyes more often than not found themselves drawn back to his companions. It was hard to believe that not too long ago – he had considered them to be the worst sort of monsters, out to eat his liver. He smiled at the memory – for such a recent event it seemed like a lifetime ago. But then, quite a lot had changed since then… Many of them caused in no small way by the three women dozing before him.  
  
Jura lay flat on her back, her arms positioned almost consciously atop her flat belly, the poised position ruined only by the earth shaking snores that arose from her sleeping figure. Hibiki had heard the rumors, but he had scarcely believed them – till now. If Barnette and Jura slept together often, then the noise bombardment was probably paltry to blame for the former's rather irritable disposition – he doubted she got more than two hours of sleep per night. In earlier days, Hibiki would have wasted no time tormenting the blonde about it, but as the months had passed, his respect for her had increased exponentially. She did have a tendency to whine a lot, and poke her nose into other people's business, and do all sorts of crazy things to attract attention – but she'd grown to be a responsible teammate, especially ever since that time when Meia had been incapacitated. She got the job done – not without a lot of griping, but he had seen in her lately that drive for victory that was slowly overcoming her tendency to get easily frustrated. He'd also seen how truly she cared for Barnette – despite the way she seemed to treat her. A complicated person was Jura, but certainly one he was proud to fly with.  
  
Of course, this didn't mean she couldn't be annoying at times, and he carefully filed away the knowledge of her snoring for use at a future time, in case of an emergency.  
  
Farther away from the blonde – much farther away actually – slept the two other women, one with red hair, the other with blue. The former had always been a bit of a mystery to him. Ever since they had met, Dita had seemed to take an instant liking to him, for some reason that neither of them could really explain. Part of it was curiosity he was sure, what with him being the first 'alien' she had ever met. However, she didn't hound Bart or Duero nearly as much as she hounded him – in fact, she hardly approached them at all. With him though, it was almost as if everywhere he turned the red head would be there, with some new food for him to try or with another invitation to come play in her room… He had to admit it got tiring at times – especially since he didn't know for the life of him what Dita wanted from him.  
  
Still, though he was loath to show it, he wasn't entirely blind to how welcome Dita's attentions were at times. She really did seem to care for him, and many times she went out of her way to make sure that his need or wants were met. Although he didn't like being pampered, he appreciated the effort. And there was something about her, the way she smiled and laughed, the way she greeted with enthusiasm anything remotely positive, the way she believed in him, above all other… All these things kept him going, and inspired him in ways that he himself did not fully grasp.  
  
In many ways, the same could be said for Meia as well – although it would be hard to find a pair as different as Dita and the Dread Leader, at least superficially. Where one was overly excitable, the other was cool as ice – sometimes overly so. Meia was driven, controlled, focused – traits that made her a terror on the battlefield but served her poorly in the realm of human interaction. While Dita had taken an instant liking to him, Meia had viewed him initially with a distrust that had later blossomed into antagonism. They'd had their share of fights, what with Meia being his nominal superior and given Hibiki's blatant lack of respect for authority.  
  
Like it or not however, they had been forced together so often that gradually, they had each earned a great deal of respect in the eyes of the other. If Hibiki were in a dangerous situation, there was no one else he'd rather have at his back than Meia Gisborn, and he judged that she felt the same way. They seldom engaged in real conversation, and neither he nor Meia had been open about their pasts, but each recognized in the other a certain similarity, a synergy that granted them a clearer understanding of the inner life of the other. Meia had an uncanny knack of sensing when there was something wrong with Hibiki, and more often than not, she found the words to set him back on the right path.  
  
_Even in her sleep she seems guarded,_ he though to himself as he looked upon her sleeping form. Her face had a slightly pinched look, almost as if she were concentrating on something. Whether it was her natural expression or from the pain of her body, Hibiki was still worried. He looked up and saw that the sun had covered approximately two hours worth of its arching path, and he looked back down at the sleeping girl. Unaware of his gaze Meia murmured restlessly and moved onto her right side.  
  
He decided to let her sleep.  
  
Not thirty minutes later however, he heard her scolding voice from behind him.  
  
"You should have woken me… It's past the end of your shift."  
  
He turned to find her standing behind him, still looking pale and ragged, but with eyes blazing with anger. _Obviously not a morning person…_ Without thinking, he responded in kind.  
  
"Look I was just trying to do you a favor – you needed your rest."  
  
She snorted. "Treating me like a child is doing me a favor?" she asked pointedly. "Please – don't patronize me. I know how much rest I need."  
  
Hibiki felt his own ire rise. "What is it with you?" he asked, "Can't you have someone try to look after you for a change without blowing up? For your information, you don't have a monopoly on self – sacrifice! The rest of us are just as able to give of ourselves as you are Meia!"  
  
For once, the girl looked a bit taken aback, but she recovered quickly. "Don't put words into my mouth, all I said was - "  
  
"Was that I shouldn't inconvenience myself on your behalf, because that would be treating you like a child," Hibiki shook his head. "This from a woman who slits her wrists to leave a blood trail for the rescue team… I think some sort of double standard is at work here."  
  
Meia had been ready to launch an angry retort, but something in his words must have struck a chord, for instead she took a deep, calming breath. "You're… right," she admitted reluctantly. Then she looked him in the eye and said, in a measured tone. "I apologize Hibiki."  
  
"Apology accepted. There," he said, "That wasn't so hard was it?"  
  
The Dread Leader shook her head. "Talk about double standard… I don't see you apologizing very often."  
  
Hibiki grinned in reply. "That's because I don't make any mistakes."  
  
Meia actually laughed at that, a melodious chuckle that Hibiki realized he had never heard before, and he told her so.  
  
The blue haired pilot shook her head. "Most times… There's not all that much to laugh about," she said in a serious tone of voice. "And when there is, all I can think of is when an enemy will try to attack and take it away."  
  
Such a cynical attitude, Hibiki thought to himself, or perhaps _guarded_ would once again be a better word. Her past must have been quite something to have caused her walls to go up so high. He placed a hand tentatively on her shoulder.  
  
"Hey – we're here with you, don't forget," he said. "We're all fighting to keep that sort of happiness alive remember? We really are concerned about you… Sometimes, it's necessary to be treated like a child, if only because you've pushed yourself too hard. It's not that we think you're weak Meia… quite the opposite."  
  
The girl nodded once, then took another deep breath. "That's a bit harder for me to accept than other people," she said, then gave him a small smile, "but I'm trying. It's just that my childhood wasn't really a time I like to remember – at least, not most of it."  
  
Hibiki nodded. "So I heard…" he said, as he sat down on the ground, staring out at the forest while stifling a yawn. He actually felt more tired than he would have thought, but it was rare that Meia opened up like this, and he was genuinely interested. "Gasco says you had quite a few run ins with the law."  
  
Meia's expression turned pensive. "That was the least of my troubles… There are certain situations from which jail can actually be a relief," she said. Her expression grew closed as she continued. "I was a different person then, and it was a long time ago… Dark times which I do not wish to return to."  
  
"You'll have to tell me about it sometime," Hibiki was fighting to keep awake, though most of what his friend said still registered.  
  
The girl shook her head. "Maybe…" she said. "One of these days…"  
  
She grew silent then, gazing out at the forest with tired yet alert eyes. And maybe she would have shared more of her life with Hibiki that day, and in fact she did turn to him after a while. But by then Hibiki was sound asleep, drooling like a baby on the forest floor. Meia stared at him for a long time before returning her gaze to the forest, and not without a certain confusion of thoughts and emotions…  
  
==[VANDREAD]==  
  
The entire floor which housed the Medical facilities of the Nirvana had been converted into a make-shift hospital, beds and medical instruments lining the corridors to accommodate the number of injured that had arrived with Gascogne and the others, four or so hours ago. They had been unaccountably lucky – with the exception of Dita, Meia, Jura and Hibiki, all the other crew members were alive and accounted for, though suffering from various degrees of injury. Most if not all were fatigued, while many others suffered lacerations or broken bones, while a few who were unlucky enough to cross the path of the mecha 'spider' had wound up in stable but critical condition. Magno Vivan thanked God as she wove her way through the scattered beds and pallets of the wounded, extending what comfort she could give with a touch, a word, a gesture. Yes… they were lucky indeed.  
  
_Still,_ she reflected as she held the hand of one of her women as her wound was stitched painfully together, _it doesn't make this any easier…_  
  
In addition to her anxiety over the many cuts and bruises of her extended family, there was the fate of the four missing pilots to worry about. Of all the people who could have gone missing in the raid, those four were perhaps the ones she had the most confidence in to find their way back intact. However conversely, those four were four of the most important people on the ship, and without them the Nirvana's chances would plummet to catastrophic levels. Most importantly, they were family, and each of those four was as dear to her heart as any child to his or her mother. So far however, sensory scans had shown no sign of the four, hindered as the scans were by a field of static probably caused by underlying minerals in the area of the volcano, though she had not ruled out artificial interference. With half the crew members tired and injured, Magno simply did not have enough able hands to risk another rescue mission, especially with no leads. Distasteful as it was to swallow, that meant that their only choice was to hunker down and wait, hoping that the four would find a way to evade the enemy and make it back home.  
  
Eventually, after threading her way through the injured in the corridors, Magno made it to the entranceway to the medical room proper. There she caught sight of Paiway and Duero, both of whom were working at a brisk pace, alternating between one patient and another and administering just the right amount of medicine and treatment for each before handing the patient to a subordinate and moving to the next one in line. Behind them were laid out the three women in critical condition, machines monitoring their vital signs and ready to alert the doctor and the nurse to the slightest alteration. They both acknowledged the Boss' presence with a nod then got back to work, even Paiway which surprised Magno to no end.  
  
"How are you two holding up?" she asked as she stepped into the room, placing a comforting arm on one of the patients.  
  
"There have been a miraculous lack of grave injuries," Duero said, without glancing up from his instruments. Deftly he produced a swath of bandage from a storage cabinet and wrapped it around the arm of one of the injured, an Engineer who had volunteered for the rescue mission. "My main concern now would be a lack of medical supplies if this trend continues, although we have sufficient reserves for approximately a week or so."  
  
"Well and good," Magno said, this time approaching Paiway and wiping away the beading sweat on the young girl's brow. "But I meant how _you two_ were doing, not the patients…"  
  
Paiway took a deep breath as she stepped away from administering medication to a Dread Pilot from the original advance party, then turned tired but determined eyes towards Magno. "Well, it's really the patients that matter," the small girl replied. "As long as they need us, we'll find the strength to go on – don't worry about us Boss…"  
  
_Well,_ the Boss thought approvingly to herself as the nurse returned to her work, _it looks like our youngest daughter is doing a little bit of growing up…_  
  
Before she could voice out her thoughts however, a beep from a nearby console preceded the appearance of a concerned looking BC on the monitor.  
  
"Boss," the usually unflappable Sub Commander intoned, "We have a problem."  
  
"I'm on my way," Magno replied, wondering what could possibly go wrong now.  
  
Minutes later she had her answer.  
  
"What are they doing out there?" she asked after recovering her composure as BC panned the external views around the ship.  
  
"Nothing so far," BC replied. "They seem to be taking positions – they're eerily silent and unmoving. When we were in captivity quite a lot of movement and what may be called communication amongst themselves was evident. Now… Nothing."  
  
The Boss nodded. "And how many of them are we talking about here?"  
  
It was Ezra who replied, a hand held protectively against her swollen belly. "Sensors are still not responding, but a conservative estimate would be around six hundred to one thousand in the area surrounding the ship."  
  
"With more coming every minute," BC added grimly as the entire bridge looked out at the monitors with rising concern.  
  
The beasts had followed them home.  
  
==[VANDREAD]==  
  
"I still don't understand why you want me to go somewhere else."  
  
A sigh. "Are all men as dense as you or are you a special case?"  
  
The four of them were standing knee deep in what appeared to be a fresh water pool. After Meia had woken them all up, they had proceeded towards the mountain, hoping that in doing so they could continue to discourage pursuit as well as acquire a vantage point from which to plan their route back to the Nirvana. Lacking any other viable path, they had followed the stream, which in turn had led them to the pool with the small waterfall where Jura and Hibiki were currently having an argument, one that had begun shortly after the three women had consulted together and asked Hibiki to leave.  
  
"What are you trying to lose me in the forest or something?" Hibiki asked, exasperated. "We should be sticking together, not splitting up! What's gotten into you three?"  
  
"It's not like that Uchuujin-san!" Dita protested, "It's just that we… well…" she started, then suddenly blushed furiously.  
  
Jura scowled at her younger friend. "Is that all you're going to do? Stand there and blush? You were the one who was pushing for this whole privacy thing Dita! All Jura wants is a shower…"  
  
Meia simply shook her head. "Forget it, he can join us if he wishes to."  
  
With that Meia removed her tattered outer uniform, the tunic type jacket with the shoulder padding, leaving her clad only in the black and white standard jumpsuit for dread pilots. Hibiki watched her undress with a rising feeling of discomfort.  
  
"Um…" he began, rather nervously, "Wha… What are you doing…"  
  
"Taking off my clothes," Meia replied nonchalantly. "Then taking a bath. Now if you'll excuse me…"  
  
The Dread Leader unzipped the back of her jumpsuit, revealing her smooth, pale …  
  
Hibiki fled.  
  
The boy didn't stop running until he was a good distance from the pool – almost up against the foot of the mountain - although still within shouting range in case anything went wrong. If asked, he would have been hard pressed to explain why the thought of naked women made him feel so… uncomfortable. The sight of Meia undressing had made strange twinges course throughout his body, and while not painful, they were decidedly strange. He wondered if the feeling would have been reciprocated had their positions been reversed, but then decided it probably wouldn't have been. No matter how many similarities they discovered between them, females were just… strange…  
  
"Stupid women," he muttered to himself, as he walked, kicking a pile of loose rocks one by one to vent his frustration. Most of the projectiles landed with muffled sounds against the surrounding vegetation, with some crashing against the rock of the mountain.  
  
One rock however, ricocheted with a distinctive *clink* - the sound of rock hitting metal.  
  
Curious, Hibiki moved closer towards the mountain. The rockface looked solid as far as he could tell, nothing out of place – except for a section that was covered by debris from a long ago rockslide. Planting his weapon on the ground, the boy used his good hand to remove some of the scattered rock and found himself staring at the remains of a blast door, grimy from years of dirt covering but still recognizable. A little more searching revealed the rest of the frame, approximately human in height, and a wrecked keypad beside it. There was a hole in the doorway, large enough to crawl through, though Hibiki couldn't tell what had caused it. Peering into the darkness beyond, Hibiki could see parasteel walls forming a corridor, and the flicker of electric lights.  
  
"Well, well… Look what we have here," he whistled, thinking back to the mechanical spider they had encountered, "Heh, it looks like some of our questions are about to get answers…"  
  
Making a mental note of the place, Hibiki retrieved his weapon and hurried back to the pool. The girls would surely want to hear this… If they were lucky, they might even find a way to contact the Nirvana. Unfortunately, his mind was so wrapped up in his discovery however that he forgot certain important details…  
  
"Hey guys!" he shouted, only to skid to a complete stop.  
  
"Eeeeek!"  
  
"What're you _doing_?!?"  
  
"Make up your mind Hibiki…"  
  
To his credit, Hibiki managed a full second of stunned silence before his senses overloaded, his brain overheated, and he fainted dead away.  
  
A silence, then a sigh. "You know, if we'd only known the males would be so easily overcome, we could have won the war a long time ago…"  
  
As soon as the girls had regained their clothing and Hibiki had regained consciousness, the four humans trooped to the site of the wrecked blast doors. After a brief discussion they had determined that the best course of action was to investigate the new area, hoping for answers and some means of communication with the Nirvana. So decided, the three women and one man crawled through the hole in the entrance, and emerged into the interior of the mountain.  
  
Aside from the area nearest the destroyed entrance, the place seemed to have been fairly well maintained, lighting and ventilation acceptable if not nominal, with only a thin layer of dust coating the floors. It was evident from the entrance onward that the installation had been created by advanced technology of a race that was –if not human – then certainly of human proportions. Later on, they corrected that view – unless aliens had learned to use human letters and numbers, the place had been constructed by men and women like themselves, as evidenced by the signs and symbols that they found in various places, from serial numbers to labels for rooms. The place had obviously been well planned out, but of the inhabitants, they found no sign.  
  
"Looks like no one's home," Jura said, after checking a room that had been labeled as '183AC – Third Class Quarters', "But whomever lived here sure was neat."  
  
"Everyone's gone!" Dita said, after returning from a similar room, "At least in this part. And they didn't leave anything personal behind…"  
  
Meia looked at her quizzically, "What do you mean by 'personal'?"  
  
"You know," the red head explained, gesticulating with her hands, "Pictures of their family, books they read, little notes or flowers or toys… Nothing at all!"  
  
"Hmm…" Jura mused. "So when they left, they were prepared to leave?"  
  
"Or," Hibiki interjected, "They were never here in the first place. None of the living quarters looked as if they had ever been used. Even if you tried to bring everything with you, you'd still leave some sort of mark – but this place looks like it just rolled fresh out of a factory."  
  
"Maybe they're just neat-freaks," Jura shrugged.  
  
Meia's eyes narrowed. "We won't learn anything through speculation. Let's move on… And be careful."  
  
Dita nodded. "Uh-huh… This place gives Dita the creeps…"  
  
They pressed on, increasingly uneasy as Hibiki's hypothesis began to look more and more likely. The installation stretched for miles underneath the mountain, and they had taken advantage of the working elevators to reach the upper levels, but nowhere did they find any sign of human habitation. They came upon rooms stacked with equipment and supplies for both human and machine – materials that would be of great aid to the Nirvana when they returned – and yet none had been opened, moved, or so much as touched. One room contained stacks of uniforms, each with a different name stitched on a tag above the left breast. On top of the right breast was a logo that they were unfamiliar with, but the words written below labeled it loud and clear:  
  
The United Earth Space Force.  
  
"These… These are Earth uniforms!" Dita exclaimed. "We're in a base of the bad aliens!"  
  
"Calm down Dita," Meia chided the younger girl. "There's been no sign of them so far. What interests me is the fact that the Earth actually has a human army – I'd half expected their force to consist solely of the robots we have encountered up till now."  
  
"Well given the color scheme of these uniforms, its not surprising they're in hiding," Jura quipped. "I mean, gold and gray? Come on!"  
  
Hibiki ignored the blonde. "Well we can't really jump to conclusions… After all this place could be hundreds of years old for all we know. This could be like ancient history for Earth now." He turned his back to the uniforms. "Let's go… maybe if we find the bridge, or command center of this place, we can get our answers."  
  
The four resumed their search, this time using the elevators to take them straight to the top of the base. As soon as they emerged, they found themselves in what appeared to be a hangar for several dozen huge machines, all of the bays empty, save for one.  
  
In a large alcove nearest to their position, they saw the spider mechanoid from the mornings assault. They leapt back in surprise, ready for battle, but it soon became apparent that the mechanoid was powered down. A smaller robot, not initially visible, had a hatch of the machine pried open and seemed to be initiating repairs.  
  
"Is… Is that…" Jura asked.  
  
Hibiki shook his head. "I don't know… It looks like they had room for a few dozen here. It could be a different one from the one we saw."  
  
"I think I see a sign that points towards the command center," Meia said.  
  
Leaving the mecha behind, the four trekked through a series of winding corridors before ascending a flight of stairs to a large room that was ringed by rows and rows of computer work stations. A larger computer, blinking lights exhibiting its activity, occupied a central place, atop a podium and set before a large view screen.  
  
"Jackpot," Hibiki said as he led the others inside. Not wasting a moment, he took a seat in front of the main computer and began examining it for a power source.  
  
"Can Uchuujin-san use this computer?" Dita asked.  
  
"Hey!" he answered indignantly, "I wasn't always a hotshot pilot y'know! I used to be an engineer!"  
  
"Wow!" Dita said, then raised her arms in delight. "Uchuujin-san can do anything!"  
  
Jura however was less convinced. "Are you sure you're not going to set off some defense system or something equally stupid?"  
  
"Bah! What do you know woman?" he answered. "Go fluff your hair or something."  
  
He found the switch and activated the computer from standby mode. Immediately the screen lit up, followed by a blindingly fast screen of numbers and letters, moving faster than the eye could see.  
  
"Well?" Jura prodded him, mindful of the shellshocked stare he was giving the screen, "Do your stuff Mr. Engineer…"  
  
"Er… right," Hibiki said, not knowing in the least where to start, but he was saved when the gibberish finished running through the screen and was followed by a blinking prompt.  
  
_That's more like it_, he thought to himself as his right hand flew across the keyboards, running diagnostics and getting a list of basic commands. Seconds later he had accessed what seemed to be the main screen:  
  
QUERY:_  
  
command list: OBJECTIVES/ HISTORY/ COMMUNICATIONS/ DEFENSE/ SENSORS/ OTHERS/  
  
"Alright!" he whooped, "We're in… What should we start with?"  
  
"Try 'objectives'," Meia suggested. "Let's see what this place is before we fiddle around with it."  
  
QUERY: OBJECTIVES/_  
  
file: OBJECTIVES Ver 2.6  
  
text: Outpost C: To serve as observation unit over type 3 test subject humanoids in vicinity/:/ To maintain self sufficiency /:/To conceal existence of Outpost from outsiders/:/ To initiate threat response action against signs of cultural/intellectual/evolutionary maturity/:/ To maintain status quo level of culture/ intellect/ evolution /:/ To fulfill any further directives issued by Central Command  
  
"I'm not sure I got that," Hibiki said.  
  
"What does it mean when it says 'threat response'?" Jura asked, and Hibiki entered the question.  
  
QUERY: SubQuery: Def/"threat response"  
  
def: Authorized use of force against humanoids which exhibit traits beyond type 3 culure/intellect/evolution  
  
"Man this computer is vague…" Hibiki grumbled.  
  
"It probably assumes we already know all this terminology," Meia said, "Let's try to narrow it down."  
  
QUERY: SubQuery: Def/"beyond type 3"  
  
def: Exhibiting a widespread amount of cultural/intellectual/evolutionary traits above the norm, such as but not limited to: artwork, abstract language, agriculture, animal husbandry, specialized architecture and sub groups thereof… full list? Y/n_  
  
"You mean it's supposed to hurt people who farm and paint?" Dita asked. "Dita doesn't understand why anyone would want to do that!"  
  
"Wait a second," Hibiki said, "I think it's about time we saw just who we're talking about here…" The boy's fingers once more flew over the keyboard, and he called up an image of a 'type 3 test subject humanoid'. The resulting picture, of a pair of creatures, confirmed his suspicions.  
  
"Those are… the hairy monster aliens!" Dita exclaimed.  
  
"These machines… They've been intentionally keeping those creatures in a primitive mode of society?" Jura asked. "How?"  
  
"Probably by destroying any 'tribe' or whatever that exhibits those taboo traits…" Hibiki said. "Sort of like censorship through murder, with a different goal and a much wider scope."  
  
"But why?" Dita repeated. "Why would anyone do such a thing?"  
  
"That's a good question. I think it's time to check the History logs Hibiki," Meia said, and Hibiki set to it at once.  
  
QUERY: HISTORY/_  
  
file:HISTORY archive 1.html  
  
text: - 2963 AD Directive given to colonize planet designated T1- Alpha6, approximately 16.32 light years from Terra. Estimated travel time with Sub Space Drive: 1 year  
  
Arrival on planet delayed due to subspace mishap. Many parts of the ships damaged, including Cryogenic Control. Time of delay approximately 3 years  
  
2966 Arrival on planet. Conversion of shuttles into Outposts achieved through ships automatic functions. Due to prior malfunction, 99% of Cryogenic Pods fail to reinitialize. Amongst those who emerge from cryo- sleep is Doctor Emilio Wudrovich.  
  
2967 Doctor Wudrovich acquires control over the Central Command Center  
  
2967 Beginning of base level experimentation on first batch of colonists, numbering approximately thirty  
  
2968 First batch of modified colonists successfully integrated into the wild and placed under observation. Testing on second batch begins – approximately five hundred individuals  
  
2969 First instance of suppression of beyond type 3 level culture/intellect/evolution  
  
- - more?_  
  
As the words had scrolled along the screen, Hibiki had realized that Meia began to clutch his arm painfully. He turned to find the Dread Leader deathly pale, eyes wide in horror.  
  
"Meia?" he asked. "What's the matter?"  
  
"It's not possible…" she muttered, seemingly not hearing him.  
  
"Leader? Do you understand all this?"  
  
"Meia!" Jura scolded her. "Snap out of it! Now is hardly the time to zone out on us!"  
  
That seemed to shake the blue haired girl out of her stupor. With a grim look on her face she turned to Hibiki. "Try to get it to display exactly what modifications were done to the colonists…"  
  
Puzzled, but with a feeling of dread slowly rising from within him, Hibiki entered the appropriate commands.  
  
QUERY: Define/Expound modificatins+colonists  
  
file: Modifications.doc  
  
text: - Enhancement/Augmentation of muscular tissue  
  
Cranial Micronization/Selective Cauterization  
  
Memory wipe  
  
Hormonal Adjustment (resulting in increased aggressiveness, follicle growth…)  
  
Beneath the listing were two pictures, obviously a before and after comparison. The latter was easily recognizable – they had just seen that pair described as a 'type 3 test subject humanoid'… It was a picture of two of the beasts they had so recently encountered. What drew their attention however was the first picture, the one of the subject _before_ modification…  
  
It was the picture of a human male and a human female.  
  
"I… don't… believe it…" Hibiki said, his words coming slowly as his mind reeled from the shock.  
  
"The monster aliens…" Dita whispered. "They're like us too? People… just like us?"  
  
"Don't be ridiculous!" Jura exclaimed. "Jura for one has nothing in common with those hideous beasts!"  
  
"But it's possible," Meia said somberly. "The technology to effect such changes has existed for years… But it would take someone both brilliant and twisted to use it in such a manner…"  
  
"You mean this Doctor Wudrovich?" Hibiki asked.  
  
"But why?" Dita asked again, "Why would he do this to people? Turn them into… into…"  
  
The others grew silent. It seemed to Hibiki that Dita's plea was the only question that the computer would be unable to answer. Still, perhaps out of frustration and anger at the horrible crime that had been committed, he typed it out anyway.  
  
QUERY: WHY?_  
  
_  
  
The screen remained blank for a good five minutes, and Hibiki was about to begin another line of inquiry when the screen blinked back to life.  
  
Why?  
  
Because on this planet, I am a God. And a God does whatever he likes – simply because he can.  
  
Hibiki blinked at the screen as the others clustered closer.  
  
"What's going on?" Jura asked. "Something's changed…"  
  
"It's not talking like a computer anymore…" Dita said.  
  
"Perhaps it isn't one anymore…" the boy replied, then returned to typing.  
  
QUERY: Who are you?_  
  
Come now… If you're intelligent enough to find this outpost, then you can certainly figure out who I am…  
  
"It's playing games with us, whatever it is…" Jura said as she read the words on the screen. Almost as soon as she had finished, letters emerged on the screen of their own accord, without Hibiki having touched anything.  
  
Everything is a game to a God… And everyone is merely a pawn…  
  
You certainly have better things to do than play though… Especially if you want to save that magnificent ship of yours…  
  
"The Nirvana?" Dita asked with concern, "What do you mean? What's wrong with the Nirvana?"  
  
Meia motioned for the red haired girl to hush, "We have no reason to believe it has any information we are not privy to. And be careful what you say," she warned her companions. "It obviously has some sort of audio receptor placed nearby…"  
  
Not to mention visual receptors, my doubting blue haired beauty…  
  
But enough pleasantries. Perhaps you would be more trusting if I showed you?  
  
As soon as the four companions had finished scanning the text, the screen blinked out and was replaced by what appeared to be a live aerial feed of a particular part of the planet. Zooming in, Hibiki and the others could see clearly the lake of mud where their ship had crash landed. At first nothing seemed amiss, but then the viewpoint panned out, and they could see the massed, silent forms of hundreds upon hundreds of the creatures they had thought to be beasts – the humans who had been genetically modified by some sick genius who had awakened before the rest of them.  
  
"There must be thousands of them!" Jura gasped.  
  
Hibiki too was shaken by the number of beasts – no, modified humans – that surrounded their home, but he recovered quickly. "For a god, you certainly aren't very bright," he told the computer, "Or did you really think that claws and fangs could penetrate the hull of a ship designed for faster than light speeds?"  
  
The text returned briefly to the screen as the computer – or whoever was controlling it – answered Hibiki's jibe:  
  
And for a callow youth, you seem to have an unwarranted confidence in your own abilities.  
  
Did I ever say the type 3 humanoids were the problem? Perhaps you would be better served to take a closer look…  
  
The picture returned to the screen, and Hibiki strained his eyes to see what the computer was talking about. He saw nothing at first, noticing only that the beasts were quiet and hardly moving… But once more the camera panned out, slowly – like a ringmaster unveiling his star performer – and in the distance, the four caught a glimpse of metal glinting in the late afternoon sunlight… From the eight mechanical legs of a spider mecha.  
  
Ah… The X-52 Inhospitable Environment Defense and Exploration Droid… Quite the ingenious design. The claw like legs give it speed and traction on any solid surface, while the heavy armor and high powered S-Plasma Cannon give it offensive capabilities to die for.  
  
It's a shame that your friends managed to wreck one of them… They're quite irreplaceable as you may expect. Not to worry though, I believe that its twenty – three other brothers will be more than enough to destroy your ship don't you agree? Y/n_  
  
It was all Hibiki could do to keep from impaling the malevolent screen upon his spear, but a warning look from Meia stopped him cold. He knew what the Dread Leader was thinking – that no matter how smug or offensive the computer was, damaging it would achieve nothing. To the contrary, it would deprive them of information they would have had no access to otherwise – such as the fact that the Nirvana was about to be attacked. What they had to do was pump their opponent for as much information as they could – they could sort out the true form the false later – while making sure they divulged none of their own secrets. Like the fact that the Nirvana had seemingly no offensive weapons of its own, and the fact that it was lying immersed in a liquid bomb just waiting for a fuse…  
  
"You've sorely underestimated us if you think you can take us on with a handful of spiders," Hibiki bluffed, "Then again, since you know absolutely nothing about us, or what we're capable of, that's not surprising."  
  
The others seemed to catch on quickly. "That's right!" Dita exclaimed, "You can't beat our ultra-powerful weapons! We'll make you sorry you tangled with us!"  
  
"Better heed the warning, whoever you are," Jura said, jumping on to the band wagon, "Because you're going to need something more than those horrid things when we come for your head."  
  
Oh please… Do you think I am unaware of the chemical properties of your liquid prison? One well placed energy blast from an X-52 – or one of your own weapons – will leave your ship crippled or destroyed. You can cease your foolish posturings… I know that I hold all the cards…  
  
It's ironic really… The X – 52's were originally sent out to destroy the tribe of humanoids who had rediscovered the capacity to create 'art' – the same ones who kidnapped your crew members in order to pacify their 'God of the Mountain'. Instead, when they saw your companions destroy one of their 'gods', they came to believe that you people would save them – break the cycle that they find themselves trapped in. They thought they could find protection by following your friends – but in the process all they have really done is seal the doom of both themselves, and their new 'saviors'…  
  
So their enemy was aware of their predicament… At least he did not seem to be aware of the Nirvana's lack of offensive capability, nor was there any mention of the crippled sectors that grounded both the Vanguards and the Dreads. If so then maybe their encounter was an unfortunate accident rather than a planned ambush, but Hibiki was still unsure if he could rule out the possibility of the Earth having a hand in this, especially not after seeing the logo on those uniforms.  
  
One thing Hibiki had become sure of however was the fact that they were not speaking to a machine. Only another living thing could exhibit the kind of twisted glee that their foe was showing, a perverted joy that shone through even the emotionless lines of text. Hibiki felt the rage that had been building within him fast approach a boiling point: to so callously speak of disposing of lives which he had already horrendously scarred – whoever this person was, Hibiki swore that he would make him pay.  
  
Behind him, Meia seemed to feel the same way, for she finally broke her extended silence, and said in a voice as cold as death: "Think what you will – I tire of your games, and of this empty discussion. You can sit there and watch while we save our friends."  
  
With that she motioned to the others, and swiftly turned around and began to walk away. As soon as she did so however, a siren split the air, and the main computer began to make strident beeping noises. New lines of text greeted them as they refocused their eyes on the screen:  
  
You fools! You think you can make it there in time? You don't even know where you are! And even if you did – what could the three of you do? Nothing! Nothing!  
  
Come back! I command you!!!  
  
Below that line were several strings of technical gibberish, followed shortly by more coherent text, obviously having emerged when they turned back to the screen.  
  
Your confidence is misplaced. On this planet, I am a God, and with a thought I could eliminate you and your ship in the space of an instant.  
  
But let it not be said that I am not a kind and merciful God… As it stands your friends are doomed. But I will leave you a window of opportunity to showcase your heroism: Within the files of this computer is the abort frequency for the X – 52 droids. If you find it, it should be child's play to broadcast the frequency and delay your friends inevitable doom. The signal should be strong enough to cut through all that interference. Just remember though, that at times, the heavens are known for having a twisted sense of humor…  
  
"Why don't I feel like jumping for joy just yet," Hibiki muttered to himself, suddenly wary, ready for the slightest hint of danger. Sure enough, something was amiss… The sound of metal upon metal shattering the silence of the abandoned base.  
  
The sound of eight legs clattering upon the ground…  
  
Of course, you'll have to contend with the one little X-52 who had to stay for repairs… He wants some revenge as well…But since he can't reach the ship in time for the party, I guess you four will have to do.  
  
Have a nice day :-)  
  
"Hibiki!" Meia shouted, taking Hibiki's spear from him as the sounds of the approaching mecha inched closer to their position, "Find that frequency! We'll hold it off!"  
  
"I'm on it!" The boy said, leaping back into the seat. Once more his right hand danced across the keyboard, flitting from menu to menu, accessing files, bypassing safeguards…  
  
The screech of metal announced the spider's arrival at the outside corridor, the mecha making room for its massive bulk through sheer force. He heard the hiss of doors closing as the three women worked to bar the mechanoid's path.  
  
"Hurry Uchuujin-san!" he heard Dita shout, "It's coming!"  
  
"I'm going as fast as I can!" he shouted back, his mind wrestling with a particularly knotty bit of code. The file was encrypted ten ways to tomorrow, and if he wanted to bypass the password, he needed to hack the program. Hibiki thought of himself as a fair hacker, but this was way beyond his league. Maybe if he had Pyoro with him… Or better yet, Parfet…  
  
"It's here!" Jura shouted, "Get back!"  
  
A wave of heat and the hiss of burning metal accompanied the spider's approach, as it burned its way through the obstacles the women had placed in its path. Hibiki heard the three women let loose a shouted battle cry before the sounds of battle reached his ears.  
  
The system was too secure – they'd all be dead before he broke through the data barrier. What he needed was that password – but how was he going to find it? It could be anywhere… Anything…  
  
PASSWORD: WUDROVICH_  
  
ACCESS DENIED  
  
PASSWORD: GOD_  
  
ACCESS DENIED  
  
_Damnit Hibiki!,_ the boy thought to himself, _think like a deranged megalomaniac with a twisted sense of humor! Think of a password!,_ before a scream caused him to turn involuntarily from the computer.  
  
Behind him Dita was clutching her right arm, gritting her teeth from the pain caused by a near miss by the spider's cyclopean plasma weapon. The mecha moved in for the killing blow – but before it could do so, Jura was flying through the air, having launched herself from the shoulders of a crouched Meia, Hibiki's spear in hand and a cry of vengeance on her lips. With a might heave the blonde threw the weapon straight into the hatch which still lay open from the machine's repair. The spear entered the spider's body with a hiss and a spark, and soon after an explosion rocked the mecha, forcing it down to its knees, where it lay inert… for a full five seconds.  
  
Then it rose again.  
  
"Uchuujin-san…" Dita cried out as the mecha once more advanced on the three exhausted women.  
  
Quickly Hibiki turned back to the work station, his face set in a rictus of determination. _It would *not* end this way…_  
  
_A twisted sense of humor…_  
  
PASSWORD: NONE_  
  
ACCESS GRANTED. ABORT SEQUENCE INITIATED…  
  
Hibiki leapt to his feet with an exclamation of joy, and turned in time to see the mechanoid raise its head as if listening to something, then power down.  
  
"You did it!" Dita shouted, trying to get to her feet, but then clutching her injured arm in pain, "Owww…"  
  
Jura and Meia helped the red head to her feet. "I think I've met my quota of close calls for the day," the blonde said with a sigh of relief. "These last few hours alone should earn me about three decades of utter peace – at the very least!"  
  
Meia too let out a breath as most of the tension left her body. Then she looked straight at Hibiki, a tiny smile brightening up her tired face.  
  
"Nice work."  
  
He grinned in reply. "Nothing to it," he said in his cockiest tone of voice, before turning back to the console. "Now what say we get in touch with some long lost friends?"  
  
==[VANDREAD]==  
  
The peoples had long suffered under the grip of their might mountain gods. Not a season would go by when one of them was not snatched from their midst by the sharp talons of the gods, not a triumph completed without it being already wiped from memory, at least the memory of the earth. But the peoples had their own memories, ones kept in places where the gods could not reach, memories of their home in the distant lights, and their fall into the cold darkness. And though the people sacrificed and cowered before their gods, they kept these memories hidden in their secret places, where even the red light of the gods eye did not shine.  
  
Yes the people had suffered, and suffered long. But such was the way of the world, and though there would be those at times who would begin anew a move to resist, such resistance was as much a part of the cycle as the violent deaths that soon followed. But though the physical evidence of their battles was erased and forgotten, the paintings they painted within themselves remained etched in their hearts.  
  
And yet that morning, that dawn-beginning, had brought something new… Something unexpected. A god had fallen, beset by flames and ringed by the strange creatures that the peoples had seen as nothing more than sacrifice. Yet these creatures, smaller even than the peoples, had battles a god and bested it. Even more astonishing, these creatures with the powers of gods had seen their renditions of the earth's memories and had not destroyed them. These two factors gave the peoples something they had never known before:  
  
Hope.  
  
And so the peoples – calling to each other in the old ways, and spreading the news - had followed the creatures, back through the forest, until they reached the shining bright home of the new ones. When they had arrived, they immediately grew silent and ceased all movement – for they knew they were on holy ground.  
  
Even when the mountain gods returned, many tens of them, the people did not move. If a few of them must be sacrificed so that the new ones would look favorably upon the peoples, then so be it. What mattered was that the peoples be saved, that their memories live on, not only within but without. The cycle had already dictated that the peoples lose their lives – if the new ones would not save them, no one would. This was their belief, this was their faith,  
  
And their faith was rewarded.  
  
As one the mountain gods ceased their movement, falling to the ground like sacrifices, with not a blow laid upon them. Forgetting for a moment the sanctity of the place, the peoples moved amongst their fallen masters, disbelieving, touching the cold dead things in all places, as if striving to believe they were real.  
  
Then the doors of the silver dwelling opened, and the creatures began to descend, creatures of all sizes and shapes, of all hues…  
  
And the peoples turned from the corpses of their old gods, and bowed before the new…  
  
==[End of Chapter Four]==  
  
Author's Note:  
  
Whew… That was a long one wasn't it? Both in legth of text and in length of time to make it… The bad news is that school is almost here, so my pace might be even slower than before – yes, that is an unfortunate possibility ;p  
  
The good news is, this was, in my opinion, the best chapter to date. Almost everything I wanted to be put in this series found a place in this chapter: good humor, hard hitting action, character interaction, a few surprises for the reader and a scene wher eMeia does a strip tease ^_^ Sorry if it sounds like I'm tooting my own horn here, but it's rare that I feel entirely at peace with a chapter, and this is one of those moments. 'Marooned' has been a remarkable experience for me to write, and because of that all my writing energy is currenlty focused on finishing this series - so the second bit of good news is: don't worry, I'll finish it. I won't leave you hanging :) I hope that you guys are having half as much fun reading this as I am writing it…  
  
As usual, there are some little issues I want to expound upon or clarify from the chapter:  
  
Meia's Bitchiness: Our favorite Dread Leader got a bit nasty in certain parts of this chapter, and at first this may seem at odds with my developing her character and maing her mature (which for Meia includes loosening up) – but considering her physical condition, and the desperate circumsstances, I think the occassional back slide is understandable. Besides, she had her moments in this chap didn't she? ^_^  
  
Gasco's Irony: Just a quick note about that little comment Parfet makes to Gasco in that one scene… If you've watched the second stage, you know which one I'm talking about: Yes, I put it there intentionally ^_^  
  
Parfet's heroism: I expect some people might be surprised at our Engineer's display of athletic heroism in putting down that Spider mecha, but really, that was a threat that was right up her alley. She may cower before the beasts, but against a mechanical monster, she's in her element. Think of it as being a writer confronted with the 'challenge' of writing a one page essay on what he did for summer :)  
  
Duero's kick-assness: Nothing in the series states explictly that Duero would be a good fighter, but he just seems to have that aura. Remember in the first episode… the other graduates were heaping praises on him and wondering why he'd list himself as a doctor or scholar… Remember this is a military school, so Duero probably excelled in physical stuff as well as mental. Besides, he seems like the kind to have a mysterious past… And I will definitely bring that up in a later fic…  
  
Ring: Again, there's no evidence that Meia's ring can be set to overload and used as a grenade, but most energy weapons have that function so what the hey? :)  
  
No offense Nirvana: I won't spoil the later parts of the series anymore than I need to, but lets just say that Bart with Hair = No Weapons for the Nirvana … You know what I mean ^_^  
  
Sparks: Again, this isn't a romance fic, but I did take pains to highlight a bit the relationship between Hibiki and Dita, and Hibiki and Meia… Don't expect any winner to come out in this fic (or for a long time to come) but as each fic is the foundation for my next one, be sure that developments here will be explored in future fics…  
  
Well, that's it for now… The fifth chapter will be a bit more laid back than this one, but it will serve to set the stage for the slam bang finale in Chapter six. More interaction and plot development await you as well, so be sure to join me back here in about a month or so for the next installment of Vandread: MAROONED entitled – "Evolution". Watch for it!  
  
And hey, telling me your comments and/or criticisms is one sure way to get me to write faster, and in any case are always appreciated :)  
  
-Ender 


	5. Evolution

Ender presents…

==[A Vandread Fanfiction Series]==

   For humans, they sure could party like animals.

   Or perhaps that just made them even more human?

   These thoughts and more drifted leisurely across Magno Vivan's head as she watched their new friends dance, jump and cavort around the mud-imprisoned Nirvana, spontaneously bursting out into songs that had been supressed for decades. For the first time in over a day, the 'Boss' allowed her thoughts to drift to topics other than the immediate survival of her beloved family - the hundred and a half crew members of the unique spacecraft she had christened 'Nirvana'… Truly, there was more than enough going on to keep her senses occupied, the smell of the meat roasting around the cookfires, the sounds of joyful hooting and singing, the sight of her crew members freely associating with those who had been, but moments before, the most feared and hated creatures throughout the entire ship… Who would have thought that it would come to this stage?

   When those of the crew who remained on ship had seen the approach of the attack droids a few hours before, they had been convinced that the 'beasts' were massing together with the mecha to launch a final onslaught against the ship. Barnette and many of the others had pressed the Boss to allow them to launch a pre-emptive strike, but the older woman had quickly vetoed that idea – they might have slaughtered many of the 'beasts' but the mecha would tear them to shreds – and then their energy blasts would ignite the hazardous muck that was engulfing the Nirvana, and send the entire ship up in flames. 

   It was doubly a blessing then when, miles away, Hibiki and the girls managed to transmit a frequency which shut down the droids, just as they were about to launch their offensive – not against the ship, but against the 'beasts'. A short while later, Hibiki was able to explain that those they had been mistakenly calling 'beasts' were as human as they were – and that they had come to the Nirvana not to wage war, but to seek a sanctuary from the droids who had been the insturment of their supression and destruction for generations. 

   At first the crew members of the Nirvana had found the news hard to believe… Not too long ago the 'hairy men' – as Paiway had taken to calling them, although there were plenty of females as well – had been abducting any humans they could get their hands on, apparently to be used as ritual 'sacrifice' to the machines that had come so close to killing them all. The corridors of the Nirvana were overflowing with the number of wounded from those encounters – and those who had met the 'hairy men' face to face could not easily put aside the fresh memories of terror that the ferocious 'beasts' had instilled in them. Even as the beasts moved, almost wonderingly, amongst the inert forms of their 'gods', the crew of the Nirvana remained safely behind its barriers, ready for the moment when a sea of fury would crash against the ship.

   Then, one by one, the hairy men had bowed to the Nirvana.

   It was as if a wave had crashed against the Nirvana and then ebbed back into the sea – soon, the thousands of hairy men who had converged on the site of the Nirvana's crash had their faces pressed to the ground, groveling in obsequiously to the home of those beings whom they assumed would be their new masters… their new gods…

   Magno had seen right then and there that such a situation wouldn't do. Against the urgings of some of the Bridge – most notably Bart – she, BC, Barnette and a few women appointed as security detail, emerged from the safety of the ship and walked calmly towards the bowed forms of their recent tormentors. Barnette kept her hand close to Jura's sword as they weaved their way slowly through the hairy bodies - but other than crouching even lower at their approach, the aliens made no further movement. 

   Finally, the Boss decided she had had enough. Before anyone could stop her, she reached out and took one of the 'beasts' by its shoulders and urged it to its feet. The poor creature had flinched back violently at her touch, but slowly, as she repeated her action, it allowed itself to gently be brought to its feet. It was visibly trembling when she lifted its ragged, dirty face to stare at its eyes – but as soon as their gazes met, the creature gave  a small yelp of distress and dropped back on its knees.

   It took some food, patience and the better part of an hour to get even one of the 'hairies' to stand on its feet in the presence of the crew. The creatures had all perked up noticeably when Magno had ordered a sizeable quantity of food to be brought before the ship – it was only a small step from there to get one of them to stand up when she presented it with a slab of steak, though it took her longer to get it to accept it from her – but from the moment it took its first tentative bite, the Boss knew she had at least managed to convince them the crew meant no harm.

   Soon after the braver members of the crew followed her lead, though by the end of that first, true 'meeting', practically everyone had emerged from the ship to entice the hairy men to rise and treat them as friends. The Boss learned later that Dita and the others had relayed the morbid tale of the 'beasts' true origins and situation to the rest of the ship. Once word had spread, the wave of sympathy had been instantaneous - even amongst those who had suffered at the hands of the hairies. 

   Once sufficiently conviced that the crew of the Nirvana were friends – or at least more benovelent gods than their previous masters had been – it was almost as if a massive, oppressive weight had been lifted from the collective shoulders of the hairy men. Slowly but surely, the noise began to pick up as they began to converse excitedly amongst themselves – the braver ones even trying to speak with the crew – and soon after, there was a flurry of activity as the ones nearer the ship fled towards those at the back, carrying their news and experiences. It wasn't long after that when the first fire was lit, and offerings of meat, fruit and other edible items were being piled before the crew and later, when they were certain the humans approved, divided amongst themselves. 

   The first of the songs – and even without knowing the language Magno had known what it was – had broken out quite suddenly, as a group of hairy men had been bringing the roasted carcass of a particularly large animal before the Nirvana as another offering. The 'singer' had almost immediately snapped its mouth shut, and a deathly silence descended amongst those who had been near enough to hear.

   But, to the surprise of the crew as much as the hairy men, Magno had answered with a song of her own. It was an old song, one she remembered from when she had been but a child on the colony ship… But it was a good song, and though her voice was hardly more melodious than that of a hairy, she knew it was the right thing for them to hear at the moment. The machines had not had art or culture – could not have either. The Boss wanted to show the hairy men that not only were they allowed to sing, but that the other humans would join along as well. 

   Word of _that_ little miracle had spread even more quickly than the last, and soon the 'party' began in full swing, the amount of food being slowly matched by the amount of singing and dancing going on, an explosion and celebration of the arts that had been too long supressed by unfeeling metal, or the heat of lasers… It was hardly 'music to the ears'. But the joy with which they engaged in the practice was more than enough to make up for the lack of skill. Even when they had been threatened with death for the practice of it, the hairy men were _human_, and they needed it as much as they needed food or drink. To finally be allowed to practice in the open, without fear of retribution, made this a truly great day for the hairy men…

   Magno just hoped it would last.

   She sensed more than heard the light, confident step behind her and smiled to herself as her second in command stopped at her customary place not three feet from the older woman. 

   "It's good to have you back BC," the Boss said, letting the affection she felt for her friend seep into her voice. "I thought for a second you might leave me alone to bring this rag-tag bunch home…"

   The silver haired woman gave a low laugh. "It's good to be back… though we still have a lot of work ahead of us."

   "Talking business so soon Sub – Commander?" Magno asked with a wry note in her voice. "Careful… You're beginning to sound like Meia." The old woman gestured expansively towards the 'party'. "Why don't you take a few seconds to savor the moment? You have to admit, we've managed pretty well against some tall odds…"

   BC sighed and shook her head. "Maybe you're right Boss…" Then she gave a wry grin. "Don't worry though, I don't think I have quite as many walls as she does."

   _But there are things you keep very close to your chest don't you my friend?_ Magno thought silently to herself, _Even from me… Or at least so you'd like to think. And as for Meia… you're more like her than you'd care to admit…_  The Boss began to mentally tick off seconds in her head… One… Two… Three… Fo –

   "Boss, I was thinking…"

   _Three and a half seconds – longer than usual for BC…_ The older woman supressed both a sigh and a wry smile as she turned towards her subordinate. "What did you have in mind BC?"

   "Once Gasco returns with Meia and the others, it might be a good idea to send her back with Parfet to take a look at that mainframe. If that was just one outpost, whoever it was that Hibiki was conversing with might have more than enough power to launch another attack – it's obvious it knows where to find us. If we can find out where the prime mover is holed up, we might be able to launch a pre-emptive strike before we suffer further damage…"

   Magno nodded. "Hmmm… That's not a bad idea. I'd actually be inclined to agree even if I was sure that we'd defeated the last of those machines." The old woman's eyes narrowed. "Some things are unpardonable, and one who puts himself in the position of God for the sole purpose of sinking lower than the filthist scum, is long overdue for some punishment…"

   "I agree," the younger woman said, "Although I have to admit, we're in for quite a battle if there are any more of those droids left in his arnesal. As long as we're landlocked, all we have to use against them are our limited supply of energy weapons and those makeshift implements that Hibiki and Parfet cooked up – and that won't do much against an army of battle droids, regardless of how well we've fought so far. With the Dreads and Bangatta's out of commission, another offensive by those things might finish this." 

   "I wouldn't be overly concerned," Magno replied. "We have a good crew BC… We've come through so far haven't we? I don't think we're going to let this little detour keep us from completing our mission…"

   "As you say," BC acknowledged, "But it would be wise not to take unecessary risks right? "

   "Do you think I would?" the Boss asked, "By all means send Parfet over – but make sure she's had some rest before then – that poor girl is fatigued." The older woman turned back then, towards the hairy men who were still in the midst of celebration. "In the meantime, I'll see about getting back our Dreads and Vanguards…"

   The silver haired woman blinked. "How? They're buried under a hundred meters of mud…"

   For a few moments the older woman refrained from answering, watching with bemusement as one of the hairies tried to get a few younger ones to join it in song. When she finally answered, she did so in a placid, unworried tone of voice.

   "Sometimes, you think too much BC…"

   When her second in command merely stared back with a blank expression, Magno merely smiled.

   "We dig BC. We dig."

==[VANDREAD]==

Vandread: MAROONED

Chapter Five: Evolution

Disclaimer: While I own this fic, Gonzo owns Vandread. And here's to the hope that they make use of that ownership for a long time to come…

Timeline: This series takes place in-between the ending of the First Stage and the start of the Second Stage. Think of it as Stage 1.5 perhaps ^_^

==[VANDREAD]==

   If there was one thing that Bart Garsus hated more than pain, it was work. Actually, when you came right down to it, they were the same thing – at least in the blond navigator's humble opinion. Thus he was perfectly justified in his own eyes in hiding out while the rest of the crew was breaking out the improvised pails and shovels to begin the process of 'excavating' the Nirvana. Unfortunately for him, Amarone didn't quite believe his excuse that the reason he was at his station was so as to be ready for take off the moment they were free of the muck – honestly, those bridge girls thought nothing but the worst of him. Of course, the fact that even the most optimistic estimate of the completion of the digging placed it two or three days away may have weakened his argument a bit… But couldn't they have cut him some slack before reporting him to Gascogne?

   Still, all was not lost. The Register Chief had been rather vague with her instructions – "Get off your butt and help out!" actually was what she said… Bart was certain that there would be quite a lot of ways to help in the project that wouldn't require too much effort from him – he just had to find out what. He did have a duty to stay fresh after all – who else would pilot the ship without him?

   Of course, there was Gasco-san's threat of crucifixion to deal with, so he had to make sure he wasn't _too_ obvious… That woman looked like the sort to follow through – she was bigger than Bart was for Granpa's sake!

   With that thought in mind, Bart made his way carefully to one of the airlocks which opened up near 'ground' level, his eyes shifting nervously from side to side, alert for anyone who might actually assign him to some specific duty. His precatiouns proved unwarranted however, as he made it to a nearby egress without incident. In truth, aside from the wounded and the nursing staff, the corridors of the Nirvana were deserted – it seemed as if every able bodied hand had been assigned to the excavation already – not a good sign, the male thought to himself. The moment he stepped out into the planet's warm sunshine however, Bart realized exactly why the Nirvana had been left with a skeleton crew.  

   Spread out before him was a cooperative effort on a scale he could hardly believe. In front of the Nirvana, the hairy men had formed lines in the hundreds, each receiving a set of makeshift spades or pails which Parfet and her crew had once more managed to cobble togethr from the scrap of their previous space battles. A group of women were arrayed before the rows, some handing out the implements, others meticulously demonstrating to the hairies what it was they were expected to do with them. Their new friends seemed to learn quickly, and set to work with such enthusiasm that Bart was, if only for a moment, ashamed that he was trying to find a way to shirk his duty.

   Overseeing the entire affair was Gascogne, her trademark 'toothpick' firmly clasped between teeth perpetally stretched in a smile. With Parfet off at the tower trying to find some trace of the madman behind all this, Gasco had been charged with directing the digging efforts of the women and the hairies and with the more delicate task of constructing what Parfet had called a 'cradle' with which they hoped to gradually ease the Nirvana out of the mud once the digging had freed as much of it as possible. That particular task was assigned to a group composed solely of women – although there was always a cluster of hairy men around them watching their simple feat of engineering with looks resembling religious rapture. Idly, Bart wondered how they'd react when the Nirvana actually _moved_.

   So engrossed was he with the spectacle that he didn't even tried to get away when Belvedere approached him. He hadn't seen much of her in the past thirty-six hours – she and Celtic had volunteered to help Parfet's undermanned nursing staff in treating the many wounded. This morning though, the blonde girl had traded in her injections for a shovel made out of what appeared to be the left dorsal fin of a Dread.

   "Nice to see you finally join us," she said,  "Amarone said something about you hiding at your station again…"

  "Pfft," Bart snorted, "Let me tell you this – REAL men like Bart Garsus do _not_ cower. If you must know,  I was merely, um, keeping myself at the ready in case of emergncy – yes, just like any Pilot worth his wings…"

   "Hmmm… In that case, I'm surprised you thought of it," Belvedere retorted with a laugh.

   Bart put on an offended expression. "Is that the appreciation I get? I'll have you know that if it weren't for me, we wouldn't be where we are now!"

   "Stuck in the mud you mean?" the girl replied archly, then shook her head. "Well, now that you're here, you'd best make yourself useful – Gasco-san doesn't take kindly to slackers."

   With that the blond turned on her heels and walked away. Leaving Bart with the perplexing dillemna of how to do something constructive while doing as little 'work' as possible. Maybe now that they had seen him come outside, he could just sneak back in without them noticing?

   At that precise moment he caught Gascogne looking towards him. The Register chief gave him a small smile, as if to encourage him - then slowly ran the tip of her finger across her throat.

   Then again, perhaps they _would_ notice.

   Despondently, Bart began wandering around the camp. To his dismay, he saw that the only jobs available involved either diggin though dirt, or hauling said dirt around in sacks. The only other line of work that he could see involved wooden poles and feats of engineering which he readily admitted were beyond him. Bart was about to resign himself to an afternoon of aching muscles when he spotted a group of hairies congregating around a fire – and being fed woman food!

   Immediately the gears in his head began to churn – now _this_ was a job for the brightest scion of the Garsus family!

   With that thought he hurried back into the ship for a while, and when he reemerged his hands were laden with boxes of the capsule-form nutrient supplements that served as food on Taraku, and which his family had specialized in for generations. Unceremoniously bumping aside the girl assigned to distribute the food to the hairies, he began his spiel.

   "Hey guys," he said, in a confidential tone of voice, "I don't know _what_ these women have been feeding you – perhaps in comparison with what you eat around here you find their sad excuses for meals as an exotic sort of delicacy – but I assure you, that their repasts are nothing, _nothing_ compared with the fine, authentic products of Garsus Incorporated. I mean really, why should you inflame your tongues on their spicy fare when there's a much more palatable alternative?"

   "Does he really think they can understand him?" one of the girls behind him whispered.

   "Beats me," replied the other. "What I want to know is why he thinks gruel is spicy…"

   _Poor saps,_ Bart thought to himself. _They've obviously numbed their tongues through frequent exposure…_

   "Behold!" Bart shouted, dramatically throwing open the lid of one of the pill containers, "The finest of Taraku cuisine – brought to you exclusively by Bart Garsus!" The blonde pilot smiled in anticipation as he proffered the pills to the raptly attentive hairies. "What are you waiting for? Dig in!"

   The hairy men looked at each other in perplexity for a few moments. Then one of them – an elder it seemed, from the whiteness of his hair and the stoop in his gait – moved forward to accept the box. With reverence, the elder lifted the pills to his nose and took a hesitant sniff. Apparently satisfied, the elder reached one taloned hand into the box and removed a handful of the colorful pills – 

   _Yes! It looks like I won't have to do much work after all!_

   - and promptly proceeded to braid them into his long white hair.

   "What? Hey! Wait a minute!"Bart began shouting in protest. "That's not what they're for! You're supposed to eat them – eat them!"

   His cries fell on deaf ears however as the hairies began to eagerly pass the boxes of pills amongst each other, each taking a handful and arranging them into artful patterns of their matted hair. Some of the shouts he heard from the hairies must have been invitations, for word spread quickly and soon Bart was surrounded by a noisy throng of hairies, each using his special, high fiber nutrient supplements as tiny colorful ornaments. Bart screamed, he begged, he threatened – but no matter what he did the hairies merrily went along dressing themselves in his food – that is until Gasco-san's voice rang out across the air.

   "What the hell is going on out here?"

   The hairies all turned at the sound of her voice, many bowing deferentially in her direction.

   "Eh, I thought we told you that we won't be having any more of that," Gasco said, raising one of the hairies to his feet. "None of you are required to help us here – I was just curious as to what was going on…"

   As if he understood her completely, the nearest hairy man stood up and proffered her a handful of pills. After taking one look at the small, colorful objects, Gascogne turned slowly to Bart with narrowed eyes. "Helsa," she said, without taking her eyes from Bart, "Try to get them to the assigned site as soon as this euphoria wears off okay? In the meantime, get Amarone's team to pick up the slack." Then the tall woman took hold of one of the shovels left abandoned in the manic 'pill – braiding' and advanced menacingly towards Bart. The helmsman gulped.

   "As for you," she growled, before forcibly handing him the shovel, "You've got a lot of digging to make up for."

   "But- "

   Her face suddenly seemed awfully close to his…

   "Dig."

   Sighing, Bart headed to the nearest dig site, wondering why it was that the gods conspired against someone trying to get in an honest day's work…

==[VANDREAD]==

   The outpost was the same as Meia and the others had left it a few hours before – smooth, solid transparasteel walls and bunkheads enclosing a space that had been seemingly undisturbed by human feet, human noise, human _presence_ for a good number of decades before the team of three women and one man had stumbled upon it, quite by accident. But although the prior quartet had been unnerved by the lack of human habitation, the eerie silences and the sterile interiors, the present occupant of the outpost was too entranced by the technology to even notice. Well, at least one of them was.

   "Awe-some…" whispered Parfet in a reverent tone as she wandered the halls of the deserted – if that was even the appropriate word – base of the Earth Forces, taking in the sight of the vintage, yet fascinating, technology and hardware as if she were a sweet tooth in a candy store. "Look at all this stuff! I've read of some of them in the history books, but to actually see them in a functional setting – and in such good condition! Look! Is that a p-9833? That is sooo coool!"

   As the Chief Engineer dashed off in another direction at the merest gleam of metal, another metal object was desperately trying to keep up with her on stubby white feet. It finally had to use its boosters to catch up with the pig – tailed girl.

   "Neh Par-fet…" Piyoro 'wheezed' as it tried in vain to compensate for the brown haired girls faster, longer strides. "Could we maybe slow down *piyoro*? You've been running in circles for over an hour *piyoro*! If nav-bots could sweat I would have long ago dried into a prune *piyoro*…"

   Sighing Parfet, let her touch linger on another vintage machine before turning to the robot. She blinked once or twice to get him into focus – the contact lenses she currently wore as a replacement for her shattered pair of glasses were of a lower grade, and thus her eyesight left something to be desired. It was still better than nothing though… But even then, she realized that if she was going to sift through the data in the mainframe that Hibiki and the others had founds, she'd best do it quickly – her head was already beginning to ache from the eye – strain.

   "You win, Piyoro-kun," she said good naturedly, plucking his whitish form from the air with both her hands. "Let's go find this evil computer…"

   The two made their way swiftly towards the highest floor of the outpost, with only occasional hitches when Parfet's curiosity would get the better of her for 'one more minute'. Half a year ago she would have found it more than passing strange to find objects from 'Mejerr's' past on a planet a good fifty light years away, but now it only served as further proof of their origins on some planet called 'Earth' – one they had shared with the men. As usual at the thought of the males, her mind wandered to Duero… She wondered how he was progressing with his analysis of the genetic code of the hairy men – the Boss had wanted Duero to see just how much they had been modified from the original human stock, and in what ways, so as to determine if there was any hope of reversing the process. Duero hadn't looked very hopeful when she had left, but the investigation itself had proved quite fascinating for both of them… It was really too bad she had to leave. A part of her wondered if it was only the investigation she was missing though…

   The girl shook off such extraneous thoughts as they neared the main control room, passing by the large hangar which had formerly housed this outposts detachment of the X-52 drones, or 'spiders' as the crew had taken to calling them. She couldn't help but wonder how many outposts were scattered across the planets face, and how many more of those drones lay waiting there… The fear of another attack from reinforcements stationed elsewhere on the planet had prompted the Boss and BC to send her to the base in the firstplace. They believed that the main computer should hold some data about the location of the other bases – if they could just determine where the main control center of all the bases were, then they should be able to disable the enemy before it even gets a chance to attack.

   Soon enough, they reached the large room where Hibiki and the others had battled the damaged X – 52. The damage from the fight was less extensive than Parfet would have expected, mainly confined to the entrance ara where the spider had muscled out a larger doorway, and to certain areas where its talons, or its laser beams, had landed. Although there were a few blackened or shattered monitors here and there, the majority of the computing equipment remained functional, and the main station itself – where Hibiki had found the deactivation code for the spiders – seemed unscathed. Piyoro however, seemed mournful as he approached the unmoving remains of the X – 52.

   "It's always the machines that suffer *piyoro* - Why is it that humans always think to use us to hurt each other *piyoro*?"

   Parfet merely sighed as she took the seat in front of the mainframe and began looking for a way to boot up the computer, keeping a sharp lookout for any possible booby traps. "Maybe because you're better at it than we are? Though that's not entirely true…" the girl trailed off. "Oh I don't know Piyoro-kun, I'm the wrong person to ask – I think I know machines more than I know people."

   "Well, there's nothing wrong with that *piyoro*" the little robot huffed, and Parfet just had to laugh.

   The main computer, like the rest of the base, was made from vintage parts and in an older style than Parfet was used to. But it had been a long time since computers had changed in ways aside from efficiency, and she was quickly able to ascertain where and how it was similar to the models she was familiar with. It shouldn't take more than a few seconds to do so – after all Hibiki had done it, so why shouldn't she be able to do so?

   "O-kay!" she said, cracking her knuckles as Piyoro tried accessing one of several, supplementary terminals, a cable connecting from his rotund body to a convenient access port "Let's see what this baby can do!"

   She hit the power switch, and after awhile was greeted with swirling lines of data – some sort of diagnostic procedure if she was not mistaken. The Engineer followed the lines as best she could, making out certain patterns or codes which indicated system performance and capabilities, data allotment… The Engineer waited for the diagnostic to run its course, but after ten minutes, she noticed that the program was looping back. Parfet typed in several forms of the standard key sequence to bypasss the code, but the numbers and letters just kept scrolling past her. Muttering a curse under her breath, she reached into her pack and pulled out an electronic by-pass module –

   And with a 'beep', the diagnostic stopped, and a prompt appeared on the screen. 

   Parfet stared at the screen for a moment in puzzlement, then sighed. "Hibiki is right – you _are_ an evil computer…"

   Before the boy had gotten onto the repair drone that had brought Parfet to the base, he had told her that at one point, the computer had begun to respond to commonly worded questions, and even to their verbal comments. He still didn't know if it was the computer itself, or someone controlling it, but he and the girls had wanted to stay on while she did her investigation, just in case it had more tricks under its virtual sleeves. Parfet had waved them on though – they all looked like they needed the rest, and Meia was dead on her feet. It wasn't really false confidence – between her and Piyoro, she was confident she could deal with any electronic foe – besides, she'd requisitioned a pair of EMP grenades from Gascogne, just to be sure. Even then, it was with a mixed feeling of apprehension and embarassment that she typed in her first words.

H E L L O . . .

   Parfet waited for a good five minutes before allowing herself to breathe… If it was going to act like a regular computer with her, then well and good. She was much better at navigating one through command words and programs rather than through normal, everyday chatter.

   "What exactly are we looking for *Piyoro*?" her companion asked from nearby, his terminal showing signs of life as well.

   "Anything that can provide us a clue as to where we can find the mastermind of all this – computer or human," she answered. "A list of the number and locations of the other 'colony' bases would b our best bet, but everything from ship rosters to inventory listings might be able to help…"

   "What if… What if  _this_ is the mastermind *piyoro*?" the navi-bot asked with an air of concern.

   "Oh don't worry so much Piyoro," she replied, "In that case then it just made our job all the easier!"

   "Easy for her to say *piyoro*," the white robot muttered, "I don't see _her_ sticking her internal organs into the computer…*piyoro*…"

   The two companions set to work in earnest, each one pouring through streams of data, wading through numbers and letters in search of a hint of a clue. Almost as soon as she had turned the system on, it became apparent that it was going to be more difficult than Parfet had hoped – it was almost as if someone had intentionally muddled up the system… the storage drive was acting as if it hadn't been defragged in half a millennia. Parfet thought it was reasonable to believe that whoever it was who had been communicating with Hibiki and the others through the system had subsequently sabotaged it after the boy had cracked the code. Still, even though she had half expected the mess that lay before her, she couldn't help but feel a tad annoyed – at the rate she was going, she'd be lucky if she could extract anything useful within the day, much less the few hours BC and the Boss were hoping for. She had released saerch bot after search bot into what passed for the computer's operating system, but progress was infuriatingly slow – it was hard to make any sense out of the jumble of data. After close to five hours of futile work, the girl began to wish that the computer _would_ talk to her.

   Imagine her surprise when it obliged. And in a familiar voice at that.

   "Parfet, I have a message from - " was all that the voice managed to get out before Parfet let out a startled yelp and fell backwards onto her rump, blinking her eyes rapidly at the larger than life head that had appeared on-screen.

   "Parfet?" Duero asked in what was apparently mild curiosity, "Are you all right?"

   "Ow," the girl muttered under her breath, before turning what she hoped was a cheerful face towards the doctor's on-screen image. "Eh, don't worry about me – I'm fine! Just a bit surprised is all…"

   "My apologies," Duero replied, tilting his head slightly in her direction. "I did not mean to startle you. It seems that the Engineers encountered an anomaly while scanning Section D, and they were wondering if they could get your opinion on it…"

   The brown haired girl scratched her head. "A scanning anomaly? It's probably just due to all the mud, or the damage to the sensors that we haven't been able to fix." She paused then, and looked at the other curiously. "I'll get right on it – but why didn't they contact me directly? They knew where I was…"

   "Actually, they didn't," the man answered. "That was the problem. It seems that you didn't tell very many people where you were going – I was the first person they asked who knew exactly where you were. From there it was simply a matter of sending out a transmission based on the frequency Hibiki used to contact us, a few hours ago, and that enabled me to contact you at your current location."

   "Hmmm," Parfet nodded to herself, "Not bad Doctor! You're getting to be quite handy with the machines…"

   "It's not surprising… I've had an excellent teacher. Besides, it was very similar to tracking down the source of a viral infection…"

   Parfet didn't really know what to make of being likened to an infection, but his compliment still made her blush a little. Her whole life Parfet had always been the silent worker, the girl tinkering away in her room while her classmates ran around or went shopping. She was unused to being the focus of someones attention – and Duero's attention could be particularly unconcerting.

   "Anyway," she said, trying to distract herself from such awkward thoughts, "How have things been on your end? Meia and Hibiki where looked pretty bad when I arrived… and Dita and Jura looked ready to pass out."

   Duero nodded. "They're doing fine. Dita and Jura just needed some rest, and some basic treatment for minor bruises but the other two took the brunt of it. Hibiki had various fractures – I had to splint his arm and bind his ribs, though he insists on walking around a if nothing had happened."

   "And Meia?" Parfet asked in concern. 

   The doctor sighed. "Given how intelligent she is, it's amazing how hard it is to talk some sense into that woman when the subject is her own health – Hibiki finally had to agree to partial bed rest in order to get Meia to agree to confine herself to the infirmary… I guess her pride wouldn't let her agree to something unless she felt that she was doing it more for others than for herself."

   The pigtailed girl sighed. "That's our Meia," she said with resignation, "She's never been very good with accepting anything – you should see what she does when we try to celebrate her birthday!"

   "In any case," the long haired male continued, "I'm making sure she's getting her rest – that's the only way she's going to make up for all the blood she lost. Since I am investigating a matter on the computer, it enables me to to keep an eye on her – I half expeect her to jump out of bed and back into uniform the moment I turn my back."

   He was staying by Meia's side the whole time? Parfet felt a brief, irrational surge of emotion which she quickly suppressed – she couldn't be jealous of _Meia_ could she? Then again Meia had been an idol when she was a – Parfet shook herself. What was she thinking?  
   "Parfet?" Duero was asking, concern in his voice. "Are you alright? You seem disturbed…"

   Parfet waived away his concern, "Anyway you were saying? About this thing you're working on?"

   Duero's eyes narrowed. "It would take more time than we have to make a detailed analysis, but the major changes were readily apparent – one thing I can say about whoever planned these experiments: he had skill to match his sadism."

   "What exactly did he do to them?"

   The doctor sighed. "A great many things. The physical changes are most evident – the hair volume, muscle and sensory enhancement and the like. More difficult was his genetic cauterization of certain faculties of the brain responsible for higher functions. I still haven't figured out how they managed to make such a state hereditary – what they did was basically to 'devolve' the genetic code of the settlers, and that runs in the face of almost every law of nature there is." Duero paused and his normally stoic face took on a grim expression. "Then again, they made sure time would pass quicker in order for them to observe their handiwork."

   The girl tilted her head to one side as she stared back at the doctor. "Eh? What do you mean they made time pass quicker? That hardly seems possible doctor..."

   "In a relative manner it is possible. All they did was another alteration in the genetic code – one that resulted quicker metabolism, as well as faster maturation cycles – which aside from making them much quicker than a normal human –"

   "Also reduces their life spans proportionately," Parfet finished for him. She felt sick to her stomach at what had been done to the colonists – this was the true evil of the Earth! To think they could perform such atrocious acts on their own people... Then again, the people of Mejerr and Tarak had been colonists from Earth themselves at one point, had they not? 

   The Engineer's attention was diverted from such thoughts at an insistent beeping noise coming from the console. She typed in some quick instructions, and she determined that a repeating signal was being sent towards the base from another location. Parfet had made sure to disconnect the base's systems from the rest of the planetary network, but she had wired in her own instruments that could detect possible transmissions, while filtering out any instructions that might turn the base against her. Ignoring a curious Duero for the moment, she quickly calibrated her instruments and watched as a series of numbers and images cascaded across her screen. Soon enough she had an idea what the transmission contained. 

   "Something's sending out the Nirvana's coordinates... two guesses as to whom its sending them to..."

   Duero's eyes narrowed. "The spiders - there are more of them?"

   "Probably," Parfet agreed, typing furiously, "I've been able to find some mention in the archives that there were several bases that served as 'barracks' for the mechanoids... The military files refer to them as 'webs': it seems that at least some of the Earthlings had a sense of humor at least. Now shush for a moment Doctor – there's something I have to try..."

   As per her instructions, Duero waited quietly while she ran an intricate software program across the network the mainframe was tenuously connected to – a tracer program she had developed herself. She had to work quickly – there was no telling how long the transmissions would last. True enough, the signal ceased broadcasting a mere seconds later, but in the interim, Parfet had been able to get all she needed. With a loud whoop she turned to Duero.

    "Doctor," she told her friend, "Patch me through to the Boss..." Parfet allowed herself a tight, even predatory, grin.

   "Tell her I know where the bastard is hiding." 

==[VANDREAD]==

   The dreams were weighing her down, enfolding her in a deceptive embrace that lulled her into lethargy. She was so, so tired... In the dreams there was no pain, no body to be hurt. Yet the girl struggled back towards consciousness, used the pain that she knew she should be feeling as an anchor to reality. She had responsibilities, and these took precedence over any other desires. Besides, there were other things besides rest lurking in her dreams, things she would rather not have to face again...

   Slowly, Meia Gisborn woke up. 

   For an instant she panicked, as her surroundings were unfamiliar to the eye. Then the memories returned in a rush - as they often do upon wakefulness - and she realized she was in the infirmary of the Nirvana. Meia shook her head in mild irritation. The place should have been familiar enough – she seemed to find herself here with increasing frequency ever since that day when the Nirvana had been created. Maybe the men were bad luck... and one in particular.

   As if on cue, Hibiki Tokai strolled into the infirmary, a package tied in a bundle behind him. Well, 'strolled' might have been an inappropriate choice of words, considering he was limping around on his one good foot and a crutch – which he held in his right arm, the left having been fractured in more than one place. Considering all he had been through, Hibiki was lucky to have escaped with a few broken ribs, a fractured arm and a severely sprained ankle – there were many among the crew who had been more severely injured, even after but a single encounter with the beasts. 

   Truth be told, Meia was in almost as bad a state. While she hadn't suffered quite the physical abuse the male had, she had lost a lot of blood during the past few hours – much of it as a result of her own, as Hibiki termed it, 'hare brained scheme' – and as a result her body had been weakened considerably. It would be a good few days before she would be capable of performing any action with even the most minimum amount of efficiency. The fact of her helplessness chaffed at Meia more than her weakness or light headedness. 

   "So you're finally awake eh?" Hibiki greeted as he stepped into the room, walking awkwardly with the crutches.

   "If you found me to be so lazy, then you should have woken me before you left..." she admonished him as he plopped down onto the bed, still carrying the bundle behind his back. 

   "Don't be so grumpy," he replied, "Duero said you needed your sleep. Besides, we got ya something..." With that he pulled the bundle from behind his back and presented it to her. 

   Meia blinked. It was a bouquet of beautiful flowers, picked from amongst the lush flora of the planet from what she could tell, still wet with dew. Meia blinked again, then looked at Hibiki with a rather confused expression. Hibiki must have noticed for he sighed.

   "I had a feeling this wasn't going to work. Dita kept on telling me that you'd like some of these things, because of how you were acting while we were trekking through the forest. I have to admit, you did seem pretty interested in the things then, but I knew you were probably just looking for edible fruits or something..."

   Despite herself, Meia flushed a little at his words. "You... you saw that?"

   The boy tilted his head. "Sure, we were right there when you did it. It was weird, almost like how Jura gets when she gets a whiff of Barnette's food. You know – sort of dazed, and happy-like..." 

   Meia found her flush deepening, and quickly snatched the flowers away from Hibiki before turning away. "Why don't you just shut up and give me those ok?"

   This time it was Hibiki's turn to blink in confusion as he stared at the hand which had held the flowers but moments before. Then he smiled knowingly at the embarrassed girl. "So you _do_ have a soft spot for vegetation after all," the boy crowed, "Meia Gisborn, cool as ice Dread leader – who would have thought it?"

   "Maybe you don't know Meia Gisborn as well as you think you do..." Meia said under her breath, not really expecting him to hear her, but his quick reply indicated that he had anyway.

   "True, but then that's largely Meia Gisborn's own fault for keeping everything so close to her chest isn't it?"

   The Dread Leader turned to find Hibiki looking at her seriously, a genuine question in his eyes and posture. He actually did seem to want to know more about her. 

   "Why the sudden interest?" she asked him, "We've been on this ship for close to four months now and this is the first time you've ever asked."

   Hibiki grinned. "Well you're not exactly the most approachable of persons Meia," he jibed, "But I guess it's just like you said – I thought I knew you after four months on this ship, and I've had quite a few surprises in the last few hours. It's got my curiosity piqued, I've got to admit. Besides, you did tell me last night that you would tell me about your past one of these days..." 

   "I hardly meant for it to be the next day Hibiki."

   The boy growled in frustration. "Alright, do you have anything better for us to do? There's not a lot a pair of invalids can use to entertain themselves aside from stories you know..."

   Maybe it was his choice of words, but Meia felt her ire rising. "Speak for yourself – I'm no invalid."

   "Geez you don't have to be so touchy about it! I was just trying to keep you company! If I annoy you so much I'll leave!"

   With that the boy struggled to stand up. As the girl saw him struggle with his crutch, she had time to reconsider her decision. He had only been trying to help after all. Hibiki was just as in need of rest as she herself was, and she should not have aggravated him so. If all it took to keep him in place was to tell him a bit of her past, then it wasn't that great a price to pay. Afterall, Meia knew that she could trust him – they had saved each other's lives often enough.

   The girl raised her hand, palm outwards, and motioned for Hibiki to stop. "Sit down," she said.

   The boy glared at her, still angry. She shook her head. _Such a child..._ "Do you want to hear this or not?"

   For a moment she saw his pride warring with his curiosity, but eventually the latter won out and he sat himself back down on the bunk opposite Meia's. 

   The blue haired girl took a deep breath. She decided to start with merely fleshing out something he already knew. Meia _did_ trust Hibiki, but there were many aspects of her past she hid even from her own consciousness, and these were not easily brought to light. 

   "So Gasco told you about the tracer in my blood?" At the boy's nod she continued. "A little – souveneir from my time served at Sonair, the juvenile prison in Tarak. Although there's really not much difference between the prison for adults and that of children – they were built to punish their inhabitants, and they serve those purposes very well."

   "How'd you end up there any way? You certainly seem like a pretty straight arrow nowadays..."

   Meia allowed herself a small smile. If only he knew of the things she used to do in the old days... "Not always. Life on Mejerr isn't the glistening paradise the vids make it out to be..."

   Hibiki laughed. "On Tarak, the vids show that life on Mejerr is mostly about fire and brimstone – and eating mens livers."

   The girl chuckled in turn. "Close enough – it can be pretty hard if you are not a member of the affluent class – and I had become as destitute as one could get."

   "Become?" Hibiki asked, but Meia ignored him and moved on.

   "In any case, as with all animals, those who are weak tend to travel in packs," the Dread Leader's face took on a far away expression, as if her eyes were focused on something just behind the veil of time, "That's how the weak gain strength – through depending on others who themselves are weak." Meia blinked, then shook herself mentally before looking at Hibiki. "At least that's how I saw it before..."

    She sighed. "Anyway, the long and short of it was that I was poor, weak and hungry, and I needed to join a group – a gang if you will – any group, in order to get by. As expected, this led to me falling in with exactly the wrong kind of people – though of course it didn't seem that way at the time."

   "Let me guess – they had you do all sorts of things to 'prove' yourself before they would accept you, and these landed you right smack in the middle of trouble."

   Meia looked at him in surprise. "As a matter of fact, that's a fair summary of what happened." The girl shook her head, "But even when I was 'accepted' it was just more of the same. We did whatever we had to just to get by, then splurged it all on useless frivolities..." The far away look returned to Meia's eyes. The years she had spent amongst Sana and the others hadn't been all bad. But thinking of that time still made her feel... dirty... 

   "Meia? Are you alright?"

   The girl shook herself. That was a different time, and she had been a different person... Damnit, this was why she didn't like thinking of the past – it was too easy to get lost in it. "I'm fine – just a little tired." She looked at the worried boy and gave him a wan smile. "Well, that's basically it – not very interesting is it?"

   Hibiki shook his head. "Actually it was – despite you trying to make it as bland as possible. And it explains quite a few things." The boy cocked his head to one side. "It doesn't explain why you reacted that way in the forest though. I have to admit I've never seen you looking quite so... happy."

   Meia looked away, her features suddenly closing up. There were some memories she doubted she would ever be able to share. One hand went up to touch the ornamental band across her face. In many ways, she had become more at peace with the destruction of her family during the past few months – but it would be many more, if ever, before wounds such as those would be completely healed. 

   She was surprised at that point to feel a hand on her shoulder. Startled, she turned to see that Hibiki had reached out to her across the gap between their beds. His face had an oddly gentle expression as he spoke.

   "It's okay, you don't have to tell me more. It's just... nice to see you not being so gloomy every now and then y'know?"

   Meia's first instinct had been to pull away – she wanted no sympathy from anyone, not even one she had come to call a friend. Yet somehow, as she and Hibiki looked at each other, they seemed to reach an understanding. In many ways they were different, and yet in many ways they were the same. Meia's mind recalled their rapport in the midst of battle, the silent communication they had during their morning sparring sessions, ever since Hibiki had taken his beating at the hands of Rabat. She wasn't sure how she felt about the link that seemed to be forming between them – all her life she had prided herself on her ability to stand alone. But whatever her feelings about the matter, one thing she knew with crystal clarity: she need not tell him everything, but anything she told him would be accepted. There was no sympathy between warriors such as they – only understanding. 

   She gave him a small smile. "Maybe…" she said. "One of these days…"

   He smiled and nodded. "One of these days..."

   "Uchuujin-san!" 

   The two of them turned, somewhat guiltily, as Dita burst into the room, Hibiki sitting back completely on his own cot – just in time to be caught by a full throttle hug from the red headed girl. 

   "Ack! Geddoffame!"

   Dita giggled, and relented her hold long enough to spot the flowers. "Oh! You were able to give them to Leader! Did Leader like the flowers Dita picked out? Dita took care to only get the best ones!"

   Meia couldn't help but smile. The red head's moods were infectious. "Yes, I did Dita, thank you."

   "See!" Dita cried triumphantly, turning towards Hibiki. "Dita told Uchuujin-san that the flowers would be good for leader!"

   "Which is more than we can say about all the noise you're making!" an irritated voice came from the doorway. The three pilots turned to see Barnette and Jura walking in, both with several bandages but looking to be almost at full health. 

   "Uhm... Sorry," Dita mumbled, chastised, before she began to shout again, "But Dita was just so happy that Leader was okay!" 

   Barnette shook her head. "You're missing the point..." But then Jura stepped in.

   "Oh leave her be Barnette, I'm sure Meia can handle a little noise," the blonde said, before turning to Hibiki, "Jura would prefer chocolates and sweets as gifts – or clothes if you could find someone who had Jura's good fashion sense."

   Hibiki's brow wrinkled. "What the heck are you going on about?"

   Jura affected an innocent pose. "Why, Jura is just giving you advice just in case you need to get Jura some get well soon gifts..." The blonde narrowed her eyes then and gave a meaningful look at the Dread Leader. "Or is it only Meia that gets such gifts hmmm?"

   "Jura! Stop that!" came a chorus of three voices. 

   Barnette laughed. "Stepped on more than one foot with that one."

   Her companion grinned. "It's a gift..."she said, before she was cut off by the sound of BC's voice over the speakers. 

   "Jura, Barnette... please report to the Bridge."

   "Wha-at?" Jura whined. "We just got back! I've only taken four jaguzi sessions since we left that filthy jungle!"

   "Four sessions in less than a day would be a lot for any other person," Barnette said while she dragged the blonde out of the room. She turned to wave a final time at the three other pilots. 

   Hibiki looked first at Dita, then at Meia. "We're not going to let them leave us out of this one are we?"

   "Hai!" Dita shouted as Meia shook her head, the three of them heading for the door, Dita standing between them and giving her two injured friends her support.

==[VANDREAD]==

   "So according to the data I've gathered, a triangulation of the break off points would leads us to put the coordinates of the Central Command Center at this area," Parfet was saying as Hibiki and the girls walked onto the bridge. 

   "Hmmm," the Boss was saying, "This is the source of the commands that woke the Spider macha?"

   The Chief Engineer nodded as she wiped her brow, "Yup. It was really hard to find, but it looks like it paid off huh?"

   "Indeed," said BC, "If this is true..." the Sub Commander turned then as the three pilots came inside. "What are the two of you doing here?" she said, addressing Meia and Hibiki. "You need your rest."

   "Heh, Hibiki Tokai doesn't need rest," the boy said as Meia stepped forward.

   "We'll be fine. I'd hardly consider walking to the bridge is strenuous activity. What's the situation?"

   It was Barnette who answered. "It seems that whoever is master of this hellhole has decided to sic his remaining spiders against us. The good news is that in doing so, Parfet was able to determine where the sicko's headquarters are."

   "You mean the computer that Uchuujin-san talked to?" Dita asked.

   "No way of saying if it was a computer or a human just yet," Parfet responded, "but we do know where the signal originated from, and that should be where we can find her, or him, or it..."

   "Are you sure that it's alright to be telling us all this over the Comm unit?" Meia asked. "The computer in that room is outfitted with audio receptors..."

   Parfet waived the Dread Leader's concern away with her hands. "Don't worry about it, I made sure I disconnected the mainframe from all external connections before I started work on it, with the exception of the new line I established with the Nirvana."

   Magno cackled. "Good work Parfet, good work. Now we can go teach this sadist a lesson- pirate style!"

   "Preferably before he decides to send the rest of the  mechanoids against the ship – Hibiki's frequency will probably only work once." BC turned to Belvedere. "How much time to we have before the first spiders get her?"

   "At the rate they're moving, around a day or so – from what we were able to access on the geography of the area, they have to pass some pretty rough terrain, and that should slow them down."  

   The Sub-Commander nodded and turned to the pregnant Ezra. "Give me a rough estimate of the number of our crew both able and capable of taking part in a quick strike offensive."

   "Around fifty women," came Ezra's reply "We could probably manage forty more if you included the moderately injured – although the Doctor would probably object vehemently."

   "Fifty women," Meia mused, "That number will barely be enough if they have to go up against a dozen of those machines."

   "Would it be wise to send all of our able bodied women on this strike?" Barnette asked. "That would leave us fairly open to attack."

   The Dread Leader turned to the green haired pilot. "True, but it goes both ways. A lesser number might fail to bring down the headquarters, and that would be disastrous. We won't have time to mount another offensive before the Spiders get here."

   BC sighed. "Either way is risky. It will be awhile yet before the Nirvana can be excavated, and that will be slowed even more by each person who leaves with the Strike Team. On the other hand, a delay could be disastrous – and if we send less than the full fifty we stand a chance of a double loss." The Sub-Commander turned to Magno. "It's your call Boss."

   Magno nodded. "Gascogne," she asked the tall woman, who had been observing the scene from another monitor outside the ship, "How much longer until we can free the Dreads?"

   The veteran pirate jerked her head towards the rear of the screen, where they could see hairies and crew members working on clearing the ship from the mud. "As you can see we're making progress – the 'new guys' are certainly a big asset – there are a lot of them, they have tremendous strength and they follow orders efficiently – unlike some other 'hairy' life forms," she said, as a sweating Bart Garsus came into view. Then Gascogne let out a sigh. "Still, the Nirvana ain't a small ship. I'd give it another day or so at least." 

   "Hrrm... Roughly about the time the Spiders will get here..." the old woman intoned as she bowed her head in thought. Then her eyes focused on the screen. "We can't allow ourselves to let up the pressure. The momentum is on our side for now, but it could easily swing the other way. We cannot allow the droids to reach the Nirvana before it becomes fully operational." She took a deep breath. "Form the Strike Team BC."

   "Understood,"the white haired woman replied. "How large a unit are we sending."

   The Boss looked grim. "We've only got one chance for this, and Pirates have never been known for doing things half-way. Send every healthy body that we have, and outfit them with as much as they can carry..." she said – and just under her breath, as BC was issuing commands, she finished her sentence "... and with every prayer of every heart that has faith. I have a bad feeling about this one..."

==[VANDREAD]== 

   "What do you mean we aren't coming?" Hibiki excalimed. "Have you forgotten that we were the ones who won the last battle?"

   BC merely shook her head. "I think I made myself clear. Duero thinks that the two of you," she motioned her head towards Meia, "have already pushed your bodies too far. For the sake of your long-term health, your orders are to stay and recupriate your strength."

   "What good will our long-term health be if we die in the short term?" the boy ranted, before he felt a cold cylinder pressed to the back of his head. 

   "How about a little trust in your teammates eh?" Barnette said, as she withdrew the gun and faced Hibiki with angry eyes. "You're not the only one who can fight here – we can take care of ourselves without you males watching over us."

   "Buuut, if you really want to go..." Suddenly Jura was there, her fingers lightly touching Hibiki's face, "You could always go in Jura's palce. In fact – Jura would consider it a personal favor..."

   "Jura!" Barnette scolded the blonde. "The Boss made you the Mission Vice-Captain for heaven's sake!"

   "But Jura doesn't _want_ to go back to the stinking forest!" Jura wailed. 

   Meia had remained silent during the entire exchange, but this time she spoke up. "Sub-Commander, with all due respect, I have to go," she said to BC, ignoring the others, "I have a responsibility as the Dread Leader..."

   BC shook her head. "Which is precisely why we can't let you risk this. We need you alive, Meia."

   "How come no one is worried about the Dread Sub – Leader coming back alive huh? Huh?" Jura said before Barnette shushed her.

   Meia shook her head, "But- "

   "That's an order Meia."

   The blue haired girl's hands curled into fists. "Understood," she said, then turned smartly on her heel and walked away. 

   "Leader..." Dita whispered.

   Hibiki watched Meia's retreating form for a moment then turned back to BC. "Heh, if you think you're getting rid of me that easily, then you're in for a rough surprise!"

   BC smiled and shook her head. Men could be so predictable. "Actually, I think you have it the other way around... Boys?"

   "Eh, wha – what is this -?" Hibiki asked as he found himself lifted up by the arms, the left held by Bart and the right by Duero.

    "What do you think you're doing? Are you going to take the orders of some woman against someone from your own race? Traitors!"   

   "Orders?" Duero asked, arching an eyebrow. "I was the one who told her to make you stay in the first place. You need your rest Hibiki."

   "Don't look at me..." Bart said when Hibiki turned his glare to the blonde, "All I know is that Gasco-san's giving me a day off from work if I haul your ass back to the infirmary."

   As the two men carried the struggling Hibiki out the door, BC turned her attention to Dita.

   "Um, Sub-Commander?" the red head asked tentatively, "Is Dita to go on this mission with you as well?"

   BC looked at the open face of the young girl for a moment, then shook her head. "No, you're to stay behind. In case there's trouble, we'll need to have at least one healthy Vandread pilot here to bond with Hibiki, and in case Meia isn't up to it, your version is second when it comes to speed." The silver haired woman smiled. "Besides, we need someone to keep an eye on those two stubborn examples of masculinity and femininity, respectively."

   At her words, Dita beamed a happy smile and snapped off a joyous salute. "Hai! Dita will take good care of Leader and Uchuujin-san!"

   With that and a twirl that sent her long red hair flying, Dita was gone.

   BC sighed. At least someone was happy to be staying...

==[VANDREAD]==

   The strike team met Parfet at the coordinates a little before the planet's evening, the thick vegetation surrounding the location sending out long curling shadows in the moonlight.   
   "Is that the target?" BC asked when the pig-tailed engineer had arrived.

   "Uhm." Paret nodded.

   The silver – haired woman nodded. "Alright, get us inside." She watched silently as Parfet gathered a small team of Engineers – many of those who were still healty enough to be part of the squad had come from the Engineers – and moved downwards towards the base. 

   The base was cleverly hidden in the midst of a sprawling network of caves that honeycombed the side of a mountain, lush with the hypergrown vegetation that was common on the planet. The set up made it virtually undetectable by sight from above, and BC was sure that it had its share of counter-measures to prevent electronic surveillance. Whoever had been in charge of setting up operations on the planet had been a professional – a military person from the looks of things.

   _Which is why there is something that doesn't seem quite right about this place...___

"Sub Commander?" came a voice from behind her – Jura, with the rest of the Strike Force. "Parfet sent us word that an entry hatch has been opened. Shall we move in?"

   _Already?_ BC thought to herself. "Did it pose any difficulty to open?"

   Jura shook her head. "Parfet said it was a standard defense program – similar to the ones we'd have on Mejerr."

   BC nodded, but her mind was troubled. It wasn't strange to find an easy lock out in a remote location – BC doubted the colonists had ever thought they would need to defend themselves from interlopers with high tech equipment. Still, something about the whole operation was bothering her... Something just didn't fit...

   "Sub – Commander?"

   The silver haired woman sighed. Like it or not, there was no room for hesitation – the Spiders would be at their doorstep in a few short hours, and this was the only lead they had. 

   BC turned to the others. "Let's go."

   At her orders, the squad moved down the mountain, fifty women armed to the teeth with the latest technology Mejerr had to offer – and which the pirates had promptly stolen. As Jura had said, they found Parfet next to an open doorway, which led to a dimly lighted metal hallway burrowing deeper into the mountain. One by one the women entered, each one on her guard. BC was the last to enter, her eyes uneasily taking in the surroundings, searching for something she couldn't quite place a finger on...

   "Stick together everyone," she ordered, "I don't want anybody to be left behind in this place. 

    The proportions of the base seemed impractical. One moment they were of normal human dimensions, the next they were huge, easily the size of a Dread, but with none of the guide rails or markings that would indicate it was meant to serve as a hangar of some kind. BC and the others had been making their way deeper and deeper into the base for the better part of an hour before BC began to realize what was troubling her. 

   _Too many holes..._

   The base was purposely hidden within an extensive cave network. Yet instead of collapsing some of these tunnels to prevent intrusion, each and every opening that BC saw was one which served as an entrance or exit to the base, complete with reinforced steel doors. The design made no sound military sense, clashing completely with the sensibility which had given the installation such a complete camouflage. And then there were the corridors – while some were normal, others were obviously meant for something much bigger. Something that was not a person, was not a ship...

   The realization hit BC like a sack of bricks. She brought the group together in one of the human – sized corridors and ordered them to keep their weapons at the ready.

   "What's wrong?" Barnette asked. "Have you caught sight of the enemy?"

   That was when they first heard it – a scuttling sound, like that of a hundred teeth rattling against metal – echoing across the corridors of the base from a distance not too far away. 

   "Not yet," BC hissed, "But we may be about to... Sera, Haline, take two others and serve as look outs at the nearest intersections," She turned to Parfet. "Parfet, raise the Nirvana."

   A worried expression on her face, the engineer brought out her equipment and quickly begun setting it up. "What's going on Sub-Commander?"

   BC clenched her fist. "I think we've been fooled. This isn't the headquarters."

   Parfet looked up. "But – it was here! I traced the transmission and this is where it came from!"

   The silver haired woman shook her head. "Whoever we're up against must have known you'd trace it somehow. This base doesn't fit the profile of a central base – it has too many access points for one thing, and seems bare of human amenities."

   "Then... where are we?" Jura asked. But before BC could answer, they heard the discharge of an energy rifle from just ahead.

   "Sub-Commander!" Sera shouted as she inched her way backwards towards the group, her rifle still firing at the unseen enemy, "it's a -!"

   What else the Dread pilot would have said was drowned out by the crackling sound of a high powered laser as it burned her flesh. Screaming in pain, the girl collapsed to the floor, just as the cyclopean eye of an X-52 droid snaked into the corridor, air evaporating around it from the heat of its discharge. 

   Without hesitation, the Sub-Commander brought her own rifle to bear. "Fire!" she shouted, and instantly a good dozen or so lances of light flashed in the darkness, piercing the red orb and sending the spider crashing down unto the metal floor – only to reveal two more red eyes behind it. As BC issued another command, she heard Parfet's console beep as a connection was established with the Nirvana.

   "Parfet-chan?" Ezra's voice called out, sounding tinny through the receiver of the communicator. "What's going on? Is that gunfire?"

   "Webs..." Parfet whispered, her eyes riveted on the ever increasing number of red lights... "We're trapped in a web of spiders..."

==[VANDREAD]==

   "Parfet!" Magno called out. "What's going on?!?"

   Hibiki, Dita and Meia had been in the control room when the transmision from the Strike Force had arrived, hoping that they could make themselves useful in some way although they had not been allowed to go with the main squad. Now, as they gazed at the war of lights on screen, and heard the sounds of melting metal and screams of pain, they wished more than ever that they were there, able to lend a helping hand. And yet another part also realized that their presence there would have done little good...

   "We were tricked!" Parfet shouted, "I – I was tricked! I'm so sorry Boss, I didn't know- "

   "Parfet!" Magno shouted again, in a harsher tone of voice, "This is no time for guilt child! Tell us what is happening!"

   "This isn't..." she begun then was interrupted by a particularly fierce barrage of fire from behind her. Smoke began to trail across the scene, thick black tendrils which caused the engineer to cough. "... isn't the center of operations. It's a barracks – a hangar for the * cough * spiders, they were waiting for us to arrive and now..."

   Meia cursed roundly, while others gasped in dismay. Hibiki grit his teeth in anger and addressed the frantic engineer. "Get out of there! Get out while you can!"

   Parfet shook her head, trying her best to speak amidst the din and the smoke. "Came at us from both sides... No visible exits... Trying to break through to the South but there seem to be just so many of the-" she got out before the transmission abruptly dissolved into static.

   "Parfet! Parfet! Damnit!" the Boss cursed, slamming her fist against her chair. She turned to the bridge girls. "What happened to the connection?"

   "We don't know!" Amarone responded as she worked furiously at her station. "The signal was strong until a moment ago – it was almost as if somebody were..."

   "Wait!" Celtic interrupted. "I've got something!"

   The static disappeared then, and was replaced by a blue screen, with a single, blinking prompt.

_

Surprise! :-)_

   "You!" Hibiki growled. 

   "It's the bad computer!" Dita shouted.

By now you've probably deduced that your friends have succumbed to my clever ruse. Such is the fate of those who would cross swords with a God... Their fate is to be thrown to the eternal darkness where they shall gnash their teeth – or be broiled by laser beams as the case may be, it's all really one and the same...

   "Bastard!" Hibiki cried out. The boy took a menacing step towards the screen. "You're not going to get away- "he began, but Meia caught him by the shoulder. 

   "It's unlikely that this thing has audio receptors in the Nirvana," the Dread Leader said. Her face had gone deadly calm but her eyes burned with a barely controlled fury. "Let's see what it has to say..."

Yet perhaps you remain as yet unconvinced as to my nature, or perhaps entertain some idea of leaving my planet with your lives...

To this I have but one thing to say:

"469.7x 25.02y... Come into my parlor said the spider to the fly..."

   At that point the screen blanked out, and then the message began to loop once more, but Ezra had a composite of the words already up on a separate screen.

   Magno's eyes narrowed as she took a closer look at the numbers. "Are those..."

   "Coordinates." Belvedere agreed, "Bringing the location up on screen now."

   The screen was soon filled with the image of an isolated plateau, a hundred or so kilometers away from the Nirvana's position. 

   "So that's their real base huh?" Bart said, from his seated position near his post.

   "But is that the real one this time?" Celtic asked, "It could be another trap..."

   "Whether it's the real headquarters or not is uncertain," Meia said as she scanned the image. "However, we can be very certain that this is a trap."

   "But one we're going to have to take anyway right?" Hibiki said. He turned to Meia and Dita. "So much for bed rest..."

   "Are you crazy?" Bart asked. "What good will it do to put yourselves in the same situation that the other girls are in? Getting everyone killed won't help those of us who get left behind!"

   "Whoever this person is hasn't left us with much choice," Meia said. "Everything has been very cleverly manipulated to our disadvantage – but if he holds all the cards, we have no choice but to play his game in the meantime."

   "Besides," Hibiki added. "I have a feeling that this base is the real deal..." He looked up at Magno. "I don't think we're dealing with a computer here... I think this is a living, breathing human being with a sick mind and a huge insecurity problem. He wants to show off before he kills us off."

   Magno nodded. "Like a cat plays with its prey..." Then, despite herself, she smiled. "I've always thought cats were poor creatures to emulate when hunting human beings."

   Hibiki smiled in response. The odds were against them, but this was no different than a hundred other times in the past. And never before had Hibiki so passionately wanted to see the enemy destroyed.

    "I agree completely," the boy said, a steely glint in his eye, "Especially because this time, the prey have a plan..." The boy clenched his fist. "It's time to put an end to this madness, once and for all."

==[End of Chapter Five]== 

Author's Note:

Hoookay.

That took a long time.

A very long time.

Actually I don't blame you if some of you thought I was dead @_@

What can I say? Law School is a killer (in more ways than one) and free time to write was just one of the many casualties. It was my first semester and it took me awhile to get adjusted, and I didn't want to take any aspect of it for granted.

Now hopefully I know the ropes and can manage some better time management. Not that this will necessarily result in a quicker chapter turnout – writing isn't something you can squeeze in between assignments and expect positive results @_@ (That and the fact that my spellchecker has, for one reason or another, gone on strike). If the choice is between compromising the quality and getting these chapters out quicker, I'll have to err on the side of quality. I do have a story to tell, and it would defeat the purpose of telling it if it wasn't told well. 

But – just so you know this isn't just a nice way of putting things on indefinate hold – my personal commitment is to have the sixth and FINAL chapter of this story out by December (1 – 31) at the latest. 

Then it's on to the Second Stage – and beyond ^_^

Thanks for the patience and support gang – it really means a lot. 

See you all again soon! As always, comments and the like are good – and might just get me to write quicker :)

-Ender

**_ADDENDUM as of July, 2003: No, I'm not dead. Half a year behind, but not dead ;p Just finished going over all 70 pages of Marooned as preparation to starting work on Chapter 6 again… I decided to reupload Chapter 5 because of the atrocious number of spelling errors (w/c I'd have to blame on my lack of a spellcheck or proofreader). _**

**_I wont promise any set date this time, but have no fear that I've abandoned the project. I'll finish what I started – so watch for it ok? :)_**


End file.
